MIDDLETOWN – The fourth annual Martial Arts With Hearts (MAWH) fundraising event will take place Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Collins Arena located at Brookdale Community College’s Lincroft campus.
The event will showcase the talents of martial arts students and instructors, while culminating this year’s fundraising efforts. Students will perform with weapons and demonstrate various boardbreaking and gymnastic-style martial arts.
Co-founder Mike Crocco will break the last of 10,000 boards, which he pledged to break for the Autisim Awareness campaign, and a check will be presented to The New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC) charity.
Founded and organized by Bryan Klein, owner of United TaeKwonDo Academy, Manalapan, Martial Arts With Hearts is a nonprofit organization whose annual efforts benefit a specific charity each year. Students from martial arts schools throughout New Jersey participate in the organization’s year-round fundraising efforts.
MAWH collected approximately $57,000 in 2007 for COSAC, and continues to receive donations daily. Throughout the year, students raised money through different fundraising events such as golf outings, kick-a-thons and more.
According to Klein, the aim is to raise $70,000 or more.
“I am hoping to witness a big turn-out for this special event,” Klein said. “There will be hundreds of martial artists of all ages performing board-breaking, high-flying jumps and displaying awe-inspiring martial art skills.”
MAWH is dedicated not only to raising money for different organizations each year, it also strives to instill in its students a sense of pride, leadership, and obligation to the community in which they live.
All of the $20 entrance fee for this year’s event will go toward autism awareness and research..
To attend or make a pledge to this year’s cause, contact Klein at (732) 536- 4797 or visit www.mawh.org.