Martial Arts Schools and Hurricane Katrina

[Shorin Ryuu]

Are you a martial arts school hurt by Hurricane Katrina or one that wants to help those that were?

If so, please send me your school's name, style (if applicable), location, contact info, and if you need help or are willing to offer it. You must be willing to have this information public. For details, email me. Thank you.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Permission to post granted by Patrick

I have launched my site whose purpose is to facilitate communication between those martial arts schools affected by Hurricane Katrina and those schools who want to help them.

Here are the basic rules for it, to give you an idea of what this is all about. Or, you can visit the site here: http://martialartshurricanekatrina.blogspot.com/

Brief Summary: This site is a compilation of martial arts schools that were affected by Hurricane Katrina and martial arts schools wanting to help. The listing of contact information in a convenient place allows those schools to individually contact one another. This site is not meant to specifically give relief, only to facilitate it by providing an essential ingredient in all interactions: information. Short term aid in the form of bare necessities is needed, but long-term aid tends to focus on city infrastructure rather than that which makes us human: communities. Therefore it is up to community institutions such as martial arts schools, chess clubs, garden clubs, drama clubs, etc. to help the long-term recovery of their counterparts in affected areas.

Rules and Recommendations

1. This is meant solely for aiding the long-term rebuilding of community as opposed to just re-erecting buildings. More specifically, the long-term rebuilding of martial arts communities in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina through the sharing of information. In other words, I want to match those who are in need with those who want to help. This is a rule.

2. If you are a martial arts school in need, please send me the head instructor's name, style (or category, if applicable), and location. This information is needed to ensure validation. For school contact info, please put a phone number, email, website, or all the above that apply. For your school address, please put your school's street address, city, and state. The school's information will be made public. I understand the pain this may bring, even if your school is completely destroyed. However, I do not want this to turn into a scam, and old addresses are useful for validation. Contact information is a necessity, as the purpose of this site is to facilitate communication between those in need and those willing to help. Style is listed as an item of information because as this is meant to facilitate peer-to-peer institution relationships, perhaps some schools would be even more willing to help if a sister style or similar style is in need. This is a rule.

If you are in this category, you can send me the information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Martial Arts Schools Needing Help.

3. If you are a martial arts school willing to help those in need, please me the head instructor's name, his or her contact info, your school's name, style (or category, if applicable), and location. This information is needed to ensure validation. For school contact info, please put a phone number, email, website, or all the above that apply. For your school address, please put your school's street address, city, and state. The school's information will be made public. Contact information is a necessity, as the purpose of this site is to facilitate communication between those in need and those willing to help. Style is listed as an item of information because as this is meant to facilitate peer-to-peer institution relationships, perhaps some schools would be even more willing to help if a sister style or similar style is in need. This is a rule.

If you are in this category, you can send me the information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Martial Arts Schools Offering Help.

There is a separate thread for those schools offering temporary lodgings for displaced martial artists and their families, either in their schools or in their homes. If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Schools Offering Temporary Lodging for Martial Artists and Families.

There is a separate thread for those schools offering a temporary "instruction refuge" for displaced martial artists. If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Temporary Instruction Refuge for Displaced Martial Artists.

4. Even if you are engaging in efforts already to help rebuilding or restoring a fellow martial arts community, you are encouraged to submit your information to this site. For example, if you are a member of an organization and you are already helping a sister school out, you are encouraged to send me your information. Because it takes a lot to bring a school back, the workload is easier if spread out over multiple schools. There is a saying which goes "evil begets evil." But I believe "good begets good" and the more people see that help is being given, the more generous they themselves will become. This is a recommendation.

If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Paired Martial Arts Schools.

5. Suggestions on what to do to help.

The long-term rebuilding of anything at all, like the name implies, takes a long time. Those who run a martial arts school know it is difficult enough to keep running even in the best of times. Therefore there is a wide degree in what it is that constitutes "rebuilding" and the goal here is to get people back on their feet, not to carry them forever. Anything that does happen is coordinated through the schools themselves, but here are just some things that come to mind:

Spare equipment: Uniforms, pads, bags, mats, weapons, martial arts books...if it is needed to run a school, some people will need it. Old equipment is okay, just make sure it is useable.

Fundraisers: Money always helps. I will not be handling any of it, but it helps.

Time: Those who are extremely generous can even aid the rebuilding or restoration of sister schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They can also hold seminars or guest classes to respark interest in an area which is starting to get back on its feet and has time to engage in other activities.

You get the picture. These, of course, are all recommendations.

6. If you have suggestions for me or any information you think may be useful, I am willing to hear them. You can send me an email or post a comment in this thread: Open Thread for Suggestions, Feedback, Information.

7. If you want to discuss martial arts, politics, religion, anything-not-related-to-martial-arts-schools-affected-by-Hurricane-Katrina, then please kindly use another venue. That is not the purpose of this site. (See rule #1) This is a rule.

8. Common courtesy. Please be respectful to everyone. Please do not use vulgar or obscene language or disparage others. If you wish to do so, do it somewhere else. This is a rule.

9. I am NOT sponsored by anyone, nor do my views or actions necessarily represent those of the Air Force, the government, my karate instructor, my karate organization, the next-door-neighbor's dog or any one at all except for me.

10. I am not responsible for the actual conduct of aid or interaction that takes place because of this site. Any harm, damage, legal trouble, etc. that results from users of this site is sadly the responsibility of those involved. Moreover, I wouldn't even have the ability to resolve anything which did occur. Consequently, people participate at their own discretion.

11. I don't want to end on that negative note. I strongly believe that the rebuilding of communities outside of the bare essentials for life is essential in creating a strong society and civilization. I feel martial arts as a whole tends to foster discipline, respect, and close relationships that aid this ideal. It is my sincere hope that this site betters the re-establishment of martial arts communities disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. When a good act is done, the benefit is given not only to the recipient, but to the performer of the act. Let us go about bringing as much benefit to everyone as we can in an endeavor we all love: martial arts.

Edited September 4, 2005 by Shorin Ryuu

[Kicks]

Thank you, Shorin Ryuu

[Shorin Ryuu]

Post has been updated to reflect changes.

New: Added a list for those schools offering temporary lodgings to martial artists in their homes or at their schools.

New: Open Suggestions and Information Thread.

Again, please run this idea by all of your instructors to spread as much benefit around as possible. If you feel uncomfortable asking, I would appreciate if you passed on their contact information to me so I could ask them. Thank you.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Dianna from http://martialarts.about.com/ informed me of a new site called Martial Hearts at http://www.martialhearts.info/. It has pretty much the same goals as my blogsite, but the page is roughly 10, 358.349 times more professional. I was thinking about hiring or asking someone to make me up a page, but if one is already made...

At any rate, I highly encourage you all to check it out. I have contacted them regarding a project merger. I think it would be best so as not to duplicate effort and maximize the aid we can send to the martial arts community.

Edit: I have contacted her and we have decided to merge. My site will shift to be more of a news digest and publicity generator for the project effort. Her site has a much better user interface.