Kicks for Kids scholarships empower kids through martial arts training at Team Chip – KTXS
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by Brenna Gibbons
ABILENE, Texas — Kicks for Kids in Abilene is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to underprivileged children so they can train in martial arts at Team Chip.
KTXS spoke with the leaders behind these programs to learn the impact martial arts can have in a child’s life.
"Team Chip is a martial arts school," owner and president of Team Chip, Chip Townsend, said. "We teach traditional taekwondo, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, and we teach all ages from three years old to 80 years old."
Townsend told us that teaching the kids how to fight is not all they learn from martial arts.
"We teach them how to avoid it, verbal judo and all different kinds of things to stay out of the fight," he said. "But when you teach a kid how strong they are and they can be, their confidence grows, their chin comes up, their chest comes out to carry themselves better, and it impacts their grades."
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Townsend told us that martial arts is very disciplined and structured, with clear boundaries, goals, and expectations. He told us, when he sees kids brought into an environment like that, they flourish.
"When kids are living kind of at risk for lack of better words and maybe don't have so much structure in their life," Townsend said. "It's just a really good opportunity to try to pour into them and help them to better their situation and help them to know that in the future they can get out of that."
Kicks for Kids president, Carson Rynders, told us they do a fundraiser each year in February for this scholarship. He said that he has seen first hand how positively martial arts can impact kids.
"My kids have grown up doing martial arts," he said. "And it's been a huge benefit to them. Their grades show, their leadership skills show."
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Rynders and Townsend both told us, for the students on this scholarship right now, they have seen a huge amount of growth already.
"We have kids recommended to us, and in school they're acting out and all different ways because their home life can be distressed," Townsend said. "And they're having trouble. They, you know, their grades, their citizenship, etc. are off. They come to us, we begin to work with them, set some boundaries, help them to get control of those emotions, which is what we do in the martial arts."
To apply for this scholarship, visit Kicks for Kids' website and fill out the application.
Each year in February, there is a fundraiser for the Kicks for Kids scholarship. Students get the chance to show off what they have learned, there is a live auction, and food is served at the event.
You can get involved or donate to help the cause on their website.
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