Community Corner
Newtown Native to Hold Palo Alto Fundraiser
The money raised locally will be given to a United Way account set up to help the Newtown families.
Jon Keeling dedicates his life to teaching karate to kids and adults in Palo Alto and Redwood City. He spent eight years in Japan, honing his skills through daily instruction. But his journey began in a place now seared in American consciousness—Newtown, Connecticut.
Keeling teaches classes at Palo Alto Buddhist Temple. He instills lessons of both self-discipline and self-defense. This week, selflessness will be added to the curriculum.
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The karate students will hold a charity kick-a-thon. Ironically, the fundraiser was already planned, with the money going to Direct Relief. But now, people making donations will now have the option of having their money given to either Direct Relief or the United Way of Western Connecticut’s 'Sandy Hook School Support Fund.'
“This is a bit personal for me, as I grew up in Newtown,” Keeling wrote to Palo Alto Patch. “Teaching Karate and self-defense to our community is my life. I want to keep kids as safe as possible. I started teaching Karate in Newtown in 1984 and now teach kids & adults in Palo Alto.”
Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We will be attempting to perform 2013 punches + 2013 kicks in the adult class. In the kids' classes, we will try to do as many as 500 kicks. It is a challenge, to put it mildly. But we will all try, knowing that we are doing it for a great cause (or two).”
Click this link to make a donation directly to the Newtown Fund, but Keeling asks that you send him an email so that he can let the kids know that their fundraising event helped the Newtown families. His email address is jon@jkasv.com
If you’d like to cheer-on the kids while dropping off a donation, the kids' kick-a-thons will be held Tuesday and Friday starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, 2751 Louis Rd., off Oregon Expressway.
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