LCTA and Blue Earth County Library

Its been awhile since the last blog update.  Everything these days is saturated with news updates and new information on a daily basis, perhaps moderation is best.  It is certainly effective, in our case.  On June 1st, 2011 Lee's Champion Taekwondo Academy, Mankato started a small book drive to benefit the Blue Earth County Library. 

Our SWAT Demonstration team was scheduled to perform on June 22nd for the Library's Summer Reading Program, so we decided, what better way to promote what we do than by giving a demonstration and contributing to the library ourselves.

Fortunately, LCTA families also found worth in our effort, and in just 3 weeks, we were able to compile over 330 books that we donated to the Library on June 22nd.  Below you will see some pictures of our Book Drive, and a semi-candid shot of some SWAT teammates preparing for their demonstration (some serious, some relaxed).

Thank you very much to all who contributed to the Book Drive.  The librarians were very impressed with the quality and quantity of books we were able to donate.

Michael Manderfeld

Alabama Thank You Video from Tom Callos

Alabama Project Interviews

This is a 3 min video that contains interviews from Staff and Volunteers at HERO.  You'll hear from Tom Callos, who was instrumental in guiding me and LCTA into this partnership.  You'll also hear from several volunteers and staff, including Pam Dorr, who is the executive director of HERO Housing.

Day One Compilation Video

This video shows some of the footage from our first day of work.  Although you do not see it in the video, our day started with exercise and warm ups at 5:30 am.  The whole event, we slept in a closed down restaurant in Greensboro.  We slept on the floor and in close proximity. 

Our 'MN Team' was assigned to work with Dan, from Hero Housing, on the windows portion of the school house renovation.  This included piecing together old window frames, replacing glass, re-glazing the window panes, painting the frames, framing the interior walls of the school house, and installing the refurbished windows.

You'll also notice a lot of other workers in the videos.  Other projects for the school house included building a ramp, building a deck and stairs, patching and siding the exterior walls, exterior brick work, interior framing and building of stairs, ect.

Also, all of the staff and volunteers at HERO housing were very welcoming and appreciative of the money we raised, and the hard work we put in.  HERO is a wonderful organization doing remarkable things within their community

Michael Manderfeld

View Footage Here

Back Home

Hello Everyone,

We've returned from our weekend in Alabama.  It was filled with long days of construction work, training and of course some fun (but there aren't many places we don't have fun at).  Here are two quick videos of the HERO project we were able to work on while we were there.  Consider it a prelude to all of the footage to come.


Also, in the videos, and subsequent footage, you'll notice that the project we worked on from April 7th-10th was that of a renovation of an old school house.  For several reasons, Ms. Georgia's house project was not yet set to start while we were there (probably in August).  However, please know that the Staff of Hero Housing thanks everyone for all of their contributions.  All of the money we raised goes directly towards Ms. Georgia, but unfortunately, we weren't able to physically help in that project's construction during our trip.

We did, however, visit Ms. Georgia's current house, where we had a nice conversation with her.  She is so elated and appreciative of all of the help from our students, family, and friends!

And...We're Off! (Fundraiser Total!!!)

Holy Smokes! This has been a wonderful project so far...and Master Winkler, Jeff Bodnar, Steve Romnes, and myself are just about to head down to Alabama tomorrow morning.  We'll depart MN around 11am and fly into Birmingham, Alabama.  From there, we'll travel by car to Greensboro and connect with everyone else at the Hero Housing location there.  Wednesday night we'll meet everyone and learn about what we'll be doing for the next few days.  Thursday morning (I hope not too early! ack!) we'll begin our construction phase, which will continue through Friday and Saturday.  In the between hours of the day, we'll be in contact with dozens of other martial artists and Hero housing cooperators.  We'll have a chance to learn about the community and perhaps even do a demonstration (as previous year participants have shared their love of martial arts with the local school.)

But please, look forward to footage of our 'hands on' project once we return. 

I've said it to many people in person, I've said it on Facebook, on this blog and in the Newsletter, but I don't think I'll truly be able to fully thank everyone who has been so wonderful and supportive in this fundraiser.  Thank you so much!  Although I am surprised with how well we did,  I'm not surprised that we met our goal...after all, I simply followed our Black Belt Success Cycle (See kids, it works for real!)

1) Know what you want
2) Have a plan
3) Have a successful coach
4) Take Consistent Action
5) Review your Progress
6) Renew your Goal

Initially, we launched our fundraiser at the beginning of February with a goal to raise $2,000.  I thought it was ambitious and would certainly give us a run for our money (excuse the pun).  But only five and a half weeks into the event, we had toppled our initial goal, which eventually led to us setting two subsequent goals for $2,500 and then $3,000.  Well, my friends, I am proud to tell you that on the eve of our Alabama departure our total contributions raised for HERO Housing is $4,440!

So it seems, 'I can always do better than I think I can,' isn't only applicable to white belts...


Respectfully,
Michael Manderfeld

Close to Departure

Click To Read - Thank you Letter

Word Construction

Only a Little over a Week until 4 Black Belts From Lee's Champion Taekwondo Academy Leave for Alabama 
 

Here are 2 interesting images I created using these websites: Tagxedo and Wordle, respectively.

The Art of Non Conformity

"Never despise small beginnings, and don't belittle your own accomplishments. Remember them and use them as inspiration as you go on to the next thing. When you venture outside your comfort zone, wherever the starting point may be, it's kind of a big deal." ~ Chris Guillebeau

This was a great quote and website which aligns with the spirit of our project. This was provided to me and this Blog by Jed Stark, LCTA Leadership Team member, 2nd Degree Black Belt, and very good friend.


Visit the site by clicking here:

WOW Zone Footage and Update

Thank you to everyone that came out to the WOW zone and had fun! Watch this video to see what we were up to, and our most recent Contributions Figure.

Article from The Training Academy

Click image to read the article regarding our Hero housing project. This is from The Training Academy, an online Martial Arts blog.

Alabama Call For Help

Check out this Video from Mr. Gary Engels. He is a Martial Artist from Wisconsin. Great Video!

Alabama Call For Help. from Gary Engels on Vimeo.

Worldwide?

Modern Martial Artist has been viewed in 10 different countries across the world, has had over 1550+ views in 6 weeks, and has helped raise awareness and nearly $3,000 for Herohousing.org

 

 

Join us at the WOW ZONE!

In order to celebrate our success, hard work and accomplishments during this event...and of course, help contribute.  The WOW Zone is being very generous with this special, and their willingness to support HERO Housing.  Thank you WOW Zone!

(CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW)

Thank You, Congratulations, and Keep Supporting!

Hello everyone, this is just an update that one week after we renewed our contributions goal to $2,500, we've already topped it!  Therefore we've set our third and final goal: $3,000 before we depart for Alabama!

Our success and your generosity is unprecedented, and though we are not through yet, I, personally, am very thankful for everyone's support in making this a successful crowd-funding event. 

Michael Manderfeld

Ms. Georgia's Current House

This is why we are helping...

Underneath...

This Video is a 5 week update and an invitation to others to become involved:

A Nice Read from Tom Callos

View HERE

The Ultimate Black Belt Test

This is a movie of the 100's Ultimate Black Belt Test -- created by UBBT alumni and 100 member, Academy Award winning filmmaker, Nancy Walzog.  It is important to note that LCTA is not fully involved with the UBBT this year, aside from our support of the HERO Housing build. - - View the Video Here

LCTA, Mankato on Facebook

A glimpse into some of our On the Mat work - This is a new Facebook Page for us!

Lee's Chamption Taekwondo Academy, Mankato

Video Blog 2

Bookmarks by Ally

One of our Black Belts, Ally, makes book marks like these every year and donates the money raised to Charity.  This year she is donating to HERO Housing through our School's project.  This is EXACTLY the type of effort we're encouraging!  Way to go Ally. (This is re-posted from our Contributor's page)

HERO T-shirts

Our Hero T-shirts are in!  Please stop by the School to pick one up, or order your size.  All proceeds are being donated to Hero Housing.  Here is a mock up of the Shirt.

Backside reads: "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."  w/ herohousing.org

Schools That Learn

The following is an excerpt from the book, Schools That Learn:  

"We call this book Schools That Learn, but we are not limiting our

vision to schools or colleges as they are today — or even to school buildings. The school, as we see it, is a fulcrum point for educational and societal change."

Describing the first of  5 key disciplines in Organizational Learning:

"Personal Mastery: Personal mastery is the practice of articulating a

coherent image of your personal vision—the results you most want to

create in your life—alongside a realistic assessment of the current

reality of your life today. This produces a kind of innate tension that,

when cultivated, can expand your capacity to make better choices

and to achieve more of the results that you have chosen."

Is that not what we do, every day, every class, every test, as Martial Artists?

The book, of course, is available through amazon, or other bookstores.

HERO

This video has been in our Media Page for awhile, but we don't get many hits there. This is just to highlight Pam Dorr, who is the executive director of HERO housing. It is also a glimpse into the lifestyle and atmosphere of Greensboro, Alabama.

"You'll never learn without trying"

A light, but important message from my youth. Are these type of PSAs still around in cartoons?




What type of efforts are you exploring to help with our Hero Housing drive? Whatever it is, keep at it! And if you need any help, email me.

"How often do you really get to use your soul?"

Professor Samuel Mockbee founded The Rural Studio as a project back in 1993 for the Auburn University. His work in rural Alabama, up until his death in 2001, closely aligns with the efforts and ideology of Hero Housing. The Rural Studio is still in existence. This video highlights Hale County Alabama and the impact of such programs.

Donate Now Page

Friends,

We now have an active link to donate directly to Hero Housing and have our contributions tracked through our LCTA efforts.  Many of you have contributed already and we thank you tremendously.  Future contributors are welcome to do so here:

Donate Now Page 

New Page for Contributors

Hello everyone,

We have a new page for Contributors.  If any supporters would like to be recognized, please let me know and I'll put your picture up on the page.  Of course we'll be respectful of anyone who wishes to remain anonymous, but sometimes recognition, especially for something so well intentioned, is a good thing.

As another update, I've been hearing some wonderful feed back regarding student ideas for contributions.   I look forward to sharing them with you in the Efforts page once they are ironed out. 

Thanks for visiting the page.  We're at nearly 300 views in just a week!

- MM

Information Regarding Donor Support From HERO

I received this email yesterday.  Once the website function is up and running, I'll create a walk through video of how to donate. It is important LCTA has a way to track our contributions so we can measure our success. So in the mean time, let's brainstorm for ideas (Check the Efforts page to the right).

Hi Michael

Great to speak w/ you yesterday.  I did want to get back to you with 2 answers to questions you had. 

a)  We can add a button, for your group, on our website to track the groups fund raising.  We won't be able to track the sales on-line but can send out a weekly email from now until the event to give updates.  When you can, let me know the name you want on your button

b)  HERO will be able to send a printed receipt for paypal donations.  We will add a note on the website for people to click if they want a printed receipt.  For all donations made by check, we send printed receipts out each Friday.

Please feel Free to 'Follow' this blog...synergy helps!

Ms. Georgia Flyer

Here is our School's edition of the Ms. Georgia Flyer.

Special Thanks to Ben Findley at Insty Prints!

An Introduction...

A Worthy Endeavor

Lee’s Champion Taekwondo Academy will be participating in the Ultimate Black Belt Test's (UBBT) sponsored event in Greensboro Alabama. In conjunction with HERO (Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization) the UBBT will help raise funds for the construction of a home for Ms. Georgia (Please See Flyer).

LCTA will be initiating a crowd funding event that will last up through  April 7th 2011 - The eve of the Alabama House build.  Crowd funding describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust of people who network and pool their money and other resources together to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.

This is part of a project-based leadership effort by Master Winkler and Master Manderfeld to  invoke the core philosophies of Martial Arts and manifest them in a positive way off the mat and outside the Dojang.

LCTA’s goal is to contribute at least $2,000 dollars to HERO by that date.  If every student in the school learned about this cause, it would only take $1 a week, by everyone, to raise the necessary funds to change an elderly woman’s life in Greensboro, AL.  More information will be coming, but please, explore the websites to the right and ask Master Manderfeld about this Project.

Links

Ms. Georgia

Ultimate Black Belt Test