Helping Hands Across the Ocean

I am on my way to Saint Louis again; this time its me and my Dad. Our luggage is packed, as usual, with many donated karate gi's, and supplies for Maison de la Gare.  Our own belongings are squished into tiny carry-ons - I learn to pack lighter with each trip I take. This time I have had to make space in our baggage allowance for a few extra special items.

There are two large trophies packed safely into my luggage, The Douvris Karate Cup, and The Douvris Young Guns Karate Cup. These will be the Grand Champion prizes for the senior and junior divisions at the Maison de la Gare karate tournament I will be hosting this week. And, Douvris Martial Arts has donated medals for the competitors. The karate kids of Maison de la Gare will be invited to compete, to demonstrate their skills and passion for karate, and to vie for gold, silver and bronze medals. The junior and senior overall champions will have their names engraved on the trophies, their glory permanently displayed. Robbie envisions these trophies having layers added over time as future competitors names are added...The Senegalese Stanley Cup of Karate.  In this case, The Douvris Cup.

The Douvris Young Guns Karate Cup was conceived to honour the efforts of junior members of the Douvris Tournament Team to support the Maison de la Gare karate kids. Robbie Hughes first founded the Maison de la Gare karate program three and a half years ago. Since then, others in our Douvris dojo family have gotten involved, sponsoring kids to enrol at the dojo in Saint Louis, sponsoring tournaments, and contributing to the supplementary nutrition program.  

For the past two years, two young Douvris students, Kaylie and Keagan Goosen, have saved their allowance all year long, saving enough money to sponsor a child to join the dojo each year.  They were inspired by Robbie's dedication to the Maison de la Gare karate kids. The story of the forced begging street kids touched them, calling them to take action themselves. Recently, Kaylie requested donations to Maison de la Gare instead of birthday gifts for herself at her birthday party. As a result, enough money was raised to help sponsor this special karate tournament this week. 

Kaylie, Keagan and Robbie's contributions, and their commitment  to helping the kids of Maison de la Gare benefit from the opportunity to practice karate and do what they love, is continuing to inspire others to give. This week, the three of them together made a presentation to the Douvris Tournament Team to encourage them to request donations for Maison de la Gare in place of some birthday or Christmas gifts. And, Keagan challenged his "Young Guns" teammates to save their allowance to help others, as he and his sister did. Their passion is already spreading; another girl will be asking for donations for the karate kids of Maison de la Gare in place of birthday gifts at her party this week too. 

I am excited to share the story of the commitment and support of the young Douvris karateka with the young Maison de la Gare karateka. I know this peer support will feel as special to the kids of Maison de la Gare as it does to me. Hands reaching out across the ocean, the sharing of a special passion among children from two different worlds. Different, but the same.