So far, 60 children have signed up for the camp, which started Monday. The academy is a for-profit business, but the kung fu camp is offered free to children from low-income families.
View full sizeJoshua Wllace 6yrs of Canastota, runs an agility test at the Academy. Syracuse, NY -- Martial arts teaches self-discipline, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution and how to develop a winning mindset, according to Eric Winfree, the sifu, or master, at the Syracuse Academy of Martial Arts.
He’s going to need all those skills if he stands a chance of pulling together a free, seven-week kung fu camp this summer for children in kindergarten through grade eight.
Two weeks ago, Winfree learned the $50,000 in federal money promised for the program through Vanguard for Virture won’t be coming through.
So far, 60 children have signed up for the camp, which started Monday at the academy, 2714 Erie Blvd. East. The academy is a for-profit business, but the kung fu camp is offered free to children from low-income families.
To Help
Online contributions can be made through trulight.net/KidsCamp.aspx. Checks, payable to Syracuse Martial Arts Academy, can be sent to the academy at 2714 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, NY 13224.
“This is a priority for us,” Winfree said. “We want to keep this program going.”
He has turned to the private sector to pay for the program, tapping the goodwill he has built up with local businesses through the academy. “The response has been pretty good,” he said. “It’s just been slow.”
The summer camp website, trulight.net/KidsCamp.aspx, lists Office Max, Price Chopper, L.C. Services and Sysco among its sponsors.
Money raised through private donations will be used to pay for busing children to the camp, as well as buying water, supplies and equipment for the program, Winfree said.
John Stith can be reached at jstith@syracuse.com or at 251-5718.