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| First some meditation |
Every year we are getting older, and our kicks are not quite as high as they used to be, but we are still filled with a strong sense of pride and purpose every time we hold this event.
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| Then some stretching |
The goal of the Annual Charity Shorinji Kempo Kickathon is to raise funds for the CAMH Foundation that will be used to alleviate the suffering caused by drug addiction in Ontario.
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| Lining up |
Our evening began with a period of meditation then a warm-up and stretching. Following that we lined up and launched into 500 consecutive full force kicks with kiai (yell). Given the humid conditions the gym was rather airless, but once we launched into the kicking time just seemed to fly by.
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| Off we go! |
Before long we reached our 500th kick and the joy of accomplishing our goal eclipsed any fatigue or soreness that we felt. Also, we knew that it'll be 12 months before we do this again!
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| Halfway through |
We would like to thank our truly amazing sponsors, many of whom who have generously supported our event for many years. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Lidia and her team at the CAMH Foundation for ensuring that the logistics of our event went so smoothly.
We can now announce that our event raised a total of $10,025 - we met our $10K fundraising goal thanks to our sponsors' generous support!
Since the Shorinji Kempo Toronto Branch Kickathon initiative began in 1996 it has raised a total of $149,280 for the CAMH Foundation.
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| "All done for another year" selfie! |
Gassho