09/24/2011: The Kenpo Ohana 2011 Charity Benefit Camp

Today was The Kenpo Ohana 2011 Charity Benefit Camp. It's difficult to put into words what this event means, at least to me personally. I shared previously on how I got connected to The Ohana, which is a story unto itself. But actually being there, seeing all the volunteers hard at work, seeing all of the presenters, seeing all of the participants... I found it all very humbling.

I've always viewed myself as somewhat of a "Kenpo nobody". I run a small independent class with no big affiliations. Actually, no official affiliations at all. We're not commercial, and we lack the resources and ability to be heavily involved in outside campaigns. So to put together an event like this, with a line-up of presenters such as this, was a real challenge.

Fortunately, the Kenpo family consists of some great people. When the purpose of the event was established, some of the "top dawgs" were happy to help. Even when some of the presenters had to drop out at the last moment, others were there to step in. And the passion, dedication, and knowledge they all shared, and the professionalism and quality of their presentations, was just amazing.

And the participants were great too. I met one person who came all the way from Japan, a few from Washington state, one from Sacramento, and another from the Bay Area, as well as those from around Southern California. How awesome is that? We gave each presenter a 2 hour time slot, and it still didn't seem like enough time; everyone - including the presenters - wanted to keep going. What a good problem to have...

Just saying, "Thank you," to all the volunteers, presenters, and participants for this event does not seem like enough (not to mention the spouses and children left at home!). I am anxious to hear how much we raised and how many children we'll be able to help. Regardless, I hope everyone involved knows that they all share a part of that result. And because of that, and because I was able to be a small part of that, I am grateful.