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Senseis Peter Davenport and Richard Prowden lead a Kids Kicking Cancer

class in Pontiac.

Vote daily to help Rabbi G. of
Kids Kicking Cancer win $125,000.

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abbi Elimelech Goldberg,
affectionately known as Rabbi
G., has been chosen by CNN
as one of the 10 finalists for the Global
Hero competition. The general public
is invited to vote daily on the website,
www.CNNHero.com , and whoever
receives the most votes wins $125,000
for their charity
"We are looking for 1 million people
to follow our children and vote," said
Rabbi G. "In 3.9 minutes and zero cents,
you can help a child with cancer. When
the children see the world learning from
their power, they have less pain:'
Rabbi G. lost his 2-year-old daughter
to leukemia in 1981. He founded the
nonprofit Kids Kicking Cancer in 1999,
which helps children battling serious
illnesses by using martial arts to man-
age pain during treatment. Kids Kicking
Cancer has provided free classes and
support for 5,000 children and their
families.
Rabbi G. worked at a camp for
children battling cancer for 12 years
before founding Kids Kicking Cancer.
Goldberg, a black belt in Choi Kwang-
Do, tried to help a young camper who
was in tremendous pain. He offered to
teach the 5-year-old the martial art —
and it worked. Classes and one-on-one
support have helped so many children
who are battling cancer.
"In martial arts, you learn that pain is
a message that you don't have to listen
to:' says Rabbi G. "That lesson is so
unbelievably effective. Our mantra is
Power. Peace. Purpose. We use martial
arts as a platform for meditation, for
relaxation and to allow children to gain
these tools so that much of the fear, the
anger and trauma that accompanies
pain is tolerable:'
Kids Kicking Cancer caters to the
whole family, not just the child diag-
nosed with cancer. Many services
include martial arts, classes and uni-
forms; relaxation, meditation and
empowerment training for children
and siblings; individual support during
clinical procedures and hospitalizations;
home visits as needed; transportation
to and from classes and events; special

1

Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg and Kate
Michaels, then 5, of Waterford

family-focused events, including the
Annual Belting Ceremony, where chil-
dren receive various colored karate belts
acknowledging the level of expertise
gained through training; sibling sup-
port programs; and special black belt
ceremonies for children at the end of
their lives. (The black belt is embroi-
dered with the child's name on one side
and the words "Master Teacher" on the
other.)
"When the children demonstrate that
they can bring in the light and let out
the darkness through a series of breath-
ing exercises, it changes people. When
the children teach the breathing tech-
nique to others, they find purpose in
their lives:' says Rabbi G.
The CNN website features a video of
Haley Wallace telling the story of how
she joined Kids Kicking Cancer after she
was diagnosed with a tumor behind her
eye last year. The 9-year-old used to run
for the door when doctors attempted
to administer her treatment. Through
Goldberg's program, Haley learned to
control her fear and pain.
"The way I breathe in the light is I
think of all the happy thoughts. And
then the way I breathe out the darkness
is I think of the bad thoughts and blow
them away:' said Haley, who recently
completed chemotherapy. "I do have the
power to make the pain go away:'
Kids Kicking Cancer has expanded its
programs to New York, California and
Florida. It also has programs in Italy,
Israel and Canada. ❑

