Swift Current Christian Tae Kwon Do breaks boards for International Justice

Students waiting to break some boards.

SWIFT CURRENT / Swift Current Christian Tae Kwon Do held its third annual board break-a-thon, “Breaking Boards, Breaking Chains”, on April 23 and raised $9,214 for International Justice Mission (IJM).

Tae Kwon Do students gathered pledges in an effort to support the event. Each belt level was encouraged to participate and presentations were made to the top fundraisers: Autumn and Ashton Gelowitz ($940), Haley Vipond ($715) and Sophia Freeman ($463).

“We live in a very generous community,” says chief tae kwon do instructor Gary Voysey. “Despite the fact that our economy has slowed down, we managed to raise enough to fund at least two mission trips for IJM which will in turn provide freedom and human rights to those that currently do not have them. And donations are still coming in!”

Thanks to Great Plains College, Trailview Builders and Tim Hortons, close to 300 boards were broken using various tae kwon do techniques and refreshments were available to enjoy. The Church of the Open Bible also donated the use of their gym so that all proceeds could go directly to IJM.

“All of our students take oaths and recite tenets which remind them of their responsibilities to make the world a better place,” explained Voysey. “This event helps us remember and appreciate what we have and also provides an opportunity for us to share our blessings with those in need.”

IJM currently has ongoing operations in Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Peru. With the dollars that were raised, IJM investigators, lawyers and social workers are able to intervene in individual cases of abuse. Focus is placed on the areas of sex trafficking, forced labour, slavery, sexual violence, property grabbing, police abuse of power and hill tribe citizenship.

Swift Current Christian Tae Kwon Do has been in operation in Swift Current since 2012 and is a chartered school of the United States Chung Do Kwan Association and a member of the provincial World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Chief instructor Gary Voysey holds a third degree black belt and is Kukkiwon certified to teach. He is also an active board member of Martial Arts for Justice, a non-profit corporation designed to be an alliance of martial artists and school owners who choose to actively pursue justice, locally and globally.

-30-