Join President Choi In Giving Back 

Dear ITF members, as Taekwon-Do practitioners and as leaders we are encouraged to give back to our communities.  It is part of our commitment to building a more peaceful world. When we do things individually it makes a  very important difference to those it impacts.  What is truly amazing is the effect each small act of kindness can have when we put all our efforts together.  Every country, regardless of geographic location, has individuals who are in need.  

Last year one of our INOs decided to take a tally of how much food as an organization they were giving back to local communities.  In November of last year during its annual food drive it donated 3,200 meals and an additional 15,466 pounds (7015 kg) of food to local communities to help those less fortunate.  This year we would like to invite all ITF members to join President Choi in our first annual ITF Food Drive.  Let’s see what a difference the ITF can make globally.  As you can see from the pictures of our president working in the fields of a sweet potato farm every one of us should have the mindset of giving back to our communities.  

The food drive entails having students collect and bring nonperishable food donations to your school throughout the month of October and/or November.  Instructors need to keep a tally of the pounds/kilograms of food collected and then donate that food to a local charity of choice.  Food pantries, homeless shelters, and places of worship are great organizations to give donations to or to help locate groups that accept food donations.  Some areas have national registries and organizations that make it easy to donate.  This is something we all can do.  It is amazing to see what a difference we can make when we all work together toward a common cause, all the while helping those less fortunate than ourselves.  

The request is to email [email protected] the total amount of food donated, meals supplied, and/or meals served or delivered by December 15.  In the email subject put ITF Food Donations.  In the email include the totals from your group, the name of the group, and the country in which the group is located.  We will post the group totals as well as the ITF grand total in a follow-up article in January.  Challenging your students, having contest between ranks, etc. is a great way to incentivize them to bring in more donations.  Be creative! 

Let’s show the world that the ITF is a strong organization that cares about its communities and truly does strive to build a more peaceful world as well as being champions of freedom and justice.  Remember even the smallest donation makes a big difference.  Please join us!

ITF