April 29, 1998
Fistful of dollars
'Punch-a-thon' raises money for children
By Garret Leiva
Herald staff writer
When it comes to raising money, few fund-raisers are as creative as marathons. There are bowl-a-thons and dance-a-thons, even rocking chair-a-thons. But rare is the hyphenated charity event that involves a punch.
But throwing left hooks for a good cause is exactly what the Traverse City Kung Fu San Soo Club did Saturday as members held a martial arts fund-raiser to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Money raised from the hour and a half "punch-a-thon" will help fight against cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases, organizers said.
While choosing their charity was easy, the club did have a hard time deciding how to raise money, member Vicki Parzych said.
"We thought about a kick-a-thon or a knee-a-thon, since in the women's classes we do a lot of knee blows," said Parzych, coordinator for the fund-raiser. "But we decided on a punch-a-thon because we have several heavy bags to hit."
To raise money, the group considered taking donations on a per punch basis but reconsidered.
"We didn't want to have someone sit there and count each punch," Parzych said.
Instead, people donated a single amount toward the cause, raising $500 for the hospital.
"St. Jude's is a great cause. It's something we really believe in," Parzych said. "Everyone here at the club is really into the kid thing."