TKDT: How did the idea for
Kicking for Miracles come about?
GM Chong: In 1995, we had one school in
the Buff alo area with several hundred students,
and we wanted to develop an event that would
illustrate our philosophy that the benefi ts of
learning Tae Kwon Do should extend beyond
any individual student’s health and confi dence.
We wanted to encourage our students to
develop a sense of leadership and contribution.
TKDT: What made you select
your local children’s hospital?
GM Chong: Since the majority of our students
are children between the ages of four and
twelve years old, fundraising for our children’s
hospital seemed a natural fi t. We share the
same mission, which is to contribute to the
health and development of the children in our
community. Th e hospital has touched the lives
of virtually all of our members, and everyone
knows of a family member who needed to go
to the hospital or they had personally received
treatment at the hospital. I know that selecting
the Children’s Hospital as our charity of choice is
one of the biggest reasons our students and their
families have embraced this concept so fully.
TKDT: How exactly does
the fundraising work?
GM Chong: Beginning about six weeks prior to
the event, we ask students to gather pledges in
support of their board breaking. We also off er
corporate sponsorship packages in exchange for
promotion at the event. But the majority of the
funds raised each year has come from the indi-
vidual fundraising. Our students get very excited
about helping the hospital, and we regularly have
individual students who raise $500 and more.
In fact, there have been numerous occasions
when our top fundraiser reached over $1,000. I
think that is a great indication of just how much
community support there is for this cause.TKDT: How big was your fi rst event?
GM Chong: Our fi rst Kicking for Miracles
(then known simply as Master Chong’s Break-
a-thon) consisted of approximately one hundred
students who volunteered to gather pledges
and to break 1,000 boards at an area shopping
mall. Th e goal was to raise $5,000, and we
actually ended up raising closer to $7,500.TKDT: How did you feel
after that fi rst event?
GM Chong: I was very proud of our students
and of what they had accomplished. Not only
had we exceeded our fundraising goals, but
the whole event was a great display to the
public of the spirit of Tae Kwon Do in action.
Th e audience not only saw students of all ages
and skill levels breaking boards, but they saw
them doing so with focus, perseverance and
conducting themselves with great self-discipline
and respect. Even the Oishei Children’s
Hospital physicians who joined us that day
were surprised and impressed by how courteoustaekwondotimes.com / January 2018 31