Martial arts benefit Saturday to aid Philadelphia Blessing

"The only donation that will never make a difference is none," said Dianne Pruitt, event coordinator and student instructor for Songahm Martial Arts Academy of Tyler.

That is why this American Taekwondo Association (ATA) school is teaming with Philadelphia Blessing food agency of Whitehouse for a fund-raising event called "Breaking the Chains of Hunger." Songahm Martial Arts Academy is hosting the event and will be joined by four other regional ATA schools that have collected pledges and will be breaking boards using numerous techniques at the event.

Saturday, spectators can enjoy a day of fun and education as ATA students ages five years and up will be breaking boards to fight hunger. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the "Fred's" store located at 1128 N. Hwy 110 in Whitehouse. The school's owner, Dometrius Hill, will offer presentations on Kids Safety Net and Abduction Prevention.

"With the age that our world is in now, you can never know too much about keeping our children and ourselves safe. I teach our students not only how to be aware of their surroundings and stay out of dangerous circumstances, but what to do to stay alive if they do get in a threaten- ing situation." Hill said. "We're not only concerned about our students, but also our community and we want to be able to get this information out to help protect others. That's why we offer events like this and presentations on self-defense to groups that have called upon us."

After breaking all of the boards, the money raised for the pledge will be donated to Philadelphia Blessing food agency to purchase two tons of food. Philadelphia Blessing is a benevolent food bank ministry founded by Tyler Metro Church in 1985 and is supported by the Whitehouse community and surrounding churches.

The amount pledged by the event participants will be used to purchase food to restock the shelves of Philadelphia Blessing, depleted after recent East Texas job changes. "There are so many people out there with great needs and we are able to help them have one less thing to worry about when they pick up food at our office" said Charles Blackmon, director of the organization. "So many people come in with feelings of personal failure and we want to help replace that with encouragement and hope."

For more information on Philadelphia Blessing, call 903- 839-6769. For information on this event, call 903-279-1225.