Judo for Japan -Raising money for the tsunami and earthquake victims of Japan

This is a personal post, but one I thought necessary to talk about. Today, my son's judo club had a Judo for Japan Throw-a-thon at the Campbell Farmer's Market. It was a GORGEOUS day and many of the judo members were there to help support this very important fundraiser. From ages 3 to adults in the 60s, were out there throwing each other all to get to the goal of 1000 throws in 2 hours.

My son was starting to get picked on and we saw his self-esteem take a dive. We've always taught him to be a polite and courteous child and not to be mean to anyone. It made us very upset and sad to see that other kids find it fun to pick and tease other kids who are different from them. My brother had told us about Silicon Valley Judo and it just so happens we know the owners because one of the sensei's is my former eye doctor! So we tried it out and my son enjoyed it! If nothing else, it teaches him a discipline, builds his self-esteem and he learns a little self defense. We definitely saw a difference that the kids all got along even though many of them don't know each other.

He's been going to Judo for a month and I wasn't sure if he'd do the throw-a-thon knowing that he had to do it in front of complete strangers.He did an awesome job, much to my surprise. He took it very seriously (we often wonder because he goofs off in class) and did the throws the way he was taught. The wonderful thing is that he knows he was doing it to help the people of Japan!

The initial count of the donations received just from kind and caring citizens who came to the Farmer's Market brought in $1959.00, which will be donated to the Red Cross of Japan. The judo club has yet to calculate the pledges received from it's judo members so that donation amount will only continue to go up.

If you live in the San Jose area and are interested in Judo for yourself or your little one, I highly recommend Silicon Valley Judo. Even if your child is 3 years old, they teach them the basics so they have the foundation to work their way up. The sensei's are super nice yet strict and teach the kids the fundamentals in a fun environment!On our way home we got to see these double petal cherry blossoms or they could be plum blossoms in bloom! Makes one think of spring, but also about the beauty that Japan holds even in the face of all the destruction they've experienced in the last few weeks. They continue to move forward and rebuild their lives!