Oh wow thanks for actually visiting this page!

I'll say it now: don't worry about that fundraising goal. That's my job. Whatever you can donate, $1, $5, or $10, it is received gratefully. Your donation is even tax deductible.

I've been practicing Seido Karate at Thousand Waves for ~13 years now. If you know me, you probably know how important it is to me, given that I never stop talking about it. But that's because it's a strong, welcoming community with values I deeply believe in.

-We strive to be radically inclusive. Anyone who wants to practice karate can do so here, regardless of their identity, physical ability (we even work with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), or financial status. Even our summer camp has scholarship funding.

-We teach empowerment based self-defense, the feminist answer to teaching self-defense without putting onus on victims.

-We provide this practical self-defense training in workshops, sometimes in schools for weeks at a time, and many of them free even for non-members.

-We teach children from a young age to be active in their community, and be a voice for justice wherever necessary.

-Our dojo is a place where people learn to be strong, both physically and mentally, and above all else: compassionate.

This fundraising, as anxiety provoking for me as it is, is a necessary component for our programming as a Not For Profit Organization. I am one of many whose life is tremendously better for being a part of Thousand Waves. There's been so much in my life I could not have faced without it, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you for you consideration.