COSTA MESA, Calif. - July 24, 2019 -Senior Master of the Arts Bob White, a 10th Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo Karate, will present a seminar on Ed Parker Kenpo at the 20th Anniversary Masters Hall of Fame Celebration on Saturday, July 27, at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa. The seminar is part of a series to celebrate the martial arts as well as to raise funds for Royal Family Kids, an organization dedicated to serving and supporting foster children.
Royal Family Kids was begun in 1985 by Wayne Tesch and his wife, Diane, as a way of supporting children in foster care. The organization started as a summer camp at Lake Arrowhead; today there are more than 200 camps in 43 states and seven countries.
Bob White first came into contact with the organization in 2004, when a student asked him to present a session at a children's camp. The day was a revelation for White, and he returned the next year with two other black belts. "I couldn't believe how receptive the kids were and what a positive experience it was," White recalls. "I wanted to do more and really couldn't wait to go up the next year."
Seeing what a week at Royal Family Kids Camp could do for these children was all the inspiration Senior Master White needed. In 2006 he and his wife, Barbara, began the Bob & Barbara White Invitational Youth Karate Tournament, with 100% of the profits going to the Royal Family Kids Camp program. In its first year, the tournament raised $12,000. The next year the event brought in $24,000, enough to send 50 children to the camp. In its 13 years, the tournament has raised more than $1 million and helped hundreds of abused and neglected children to attend the camp.
"The thing that's unique about our tournament is that it's only for kids under 17, so it's kids helping other kids," says Senior Master White. "We like to say it's 'For the kids, from the kids.' It's something we are so proud to be involved with."
"Over the last seven years, the Masters has been proud to support Bob and Barbara's work with the Royal Family Kids. Bob and Barbara continue to lead in and out of the dojo" said Dr. Daniel Hect, Masters Hall of Fame Chairman.
The Masters Hall of Fame will present six seminars by great martial artists on Saturday morning. The seminars are free to those attending the 20th Anniversary Celebration, but donations are being accepted for Royal Family Kids. In addition to Senior Master White, other martial arts legends presenting include Kaiso Frank Dux, Sifu Kathy Long, Senior Professor Ron Sanchez, Senior Master John Sepulveda, and Grandmaster Darren Tibon.
For more information visit www.bwkenpo.com, www.rfk.org, or www.mastershalloffame.org.
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