Blowing away their pledge goal of $1,500, the young karate students of in Sag Harbor raised $5,500 on June 1 with a "kick-a-thon" to fight cancer.
The students kicked 22,500 times to raise money, as well as awareness, for the Swim Across America, a July 7 open water swim in Gardiners Bay in Amagansett. The proceeds are added to the total raised by the swim's Team Tarlow and Hand, of which Epic Martial Arts students, parents and instructors are members.
Team Tarlow and Hand is among many groups participating in the half-mile swim to raise money and awareness for cancer research, treatments and support.
“This project is an example of how the children of our community can make a difference by participating in acts of kindness,” Epic Martial Arts sensei Michelle Del Giorno said of the kick-a-thon. “We are teaching our young children that they can be leaders in our community. Our students learn the value of helping others by raising awareness and donations to fight cancer.”
Epic Martial Arts is participating in the Swim Across America event in memory of Alex Koehne, a young Sag Harbor resident who passed away from cancer in March 2007. The students are dedicating their swim to Wendy Tarlow, a parent of one of Epic Martial Arts' youngest students who is fighting follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I heard about this Hamptons swim shortly after my first chemotherapy treatment in 2010,” Tarlow said. “I had no idea this was a national organization that had events all over the country with most of their proceeds going directly to cancer research.”
For more information on Swim Across America, visit teamtarlowsaa.com
