Infinity Martial Arts hosted their eighth annual Kick-a-Thon fundraiser for Gio's Garden.
VERONA, Wis. (WKOW) — Infinity Martial Arts hosted their 8th annual Kick-A-Thon fundraiser to benefit Geo's Gardens.
Gio's Garden is a local nonprofit that provides respite care to families with children with special needs. Nine schools participated in this year's Kick-a-Thon.
Students supported the cause by donating anything from a dollar to large sums per kick, said Mike Welch, co-owner of Infinity Martial Arts, whose son, Lincoln, had a goal of completing 30 kicks in 30 seconds.
“The preparation is easy,” Welch said. “The hardest part is mobilizing the kids and families to go out and get the pledges.”
This year's event added new elements to enhance community engagement, including a silent auction with donations from local businesses in Sun Prairie, Middleton and Fitchburg.
“We'll have a class right after we welcome everybody. It'll be a short class of 15 to 20 minutes,” Welch said. “Then all the schools, head coaches and teams will do demonstrations. We'll also have brick breaking practice. One of the instructors will break a burning brick and then all the kids will kick it.”
As part of the day's celebrations, schools took part in a board-decorating competition, with proceeds from the sale of the boards going directly to Gio's Garden. Each school hosted a competition, allowing participants to show off their creativity whilst supporting a charitable cause.
The event aims to not only raise funds, but also foster camaraderie among martial arts students and families across Wisconsin.
Welch encouraged people to visit the Infinity Martial Arts website for event updates and follow their social media pages for ongoing activities.
