adno=6629765 Viola Karate
Building Champions in Life
Gold Award Winner
Martial Arts
An inspiring group of martial artists have made it their mission to KICK Parkinson’s
disease—literally. Viola “Allegheny Shotokan” Karate Dojo and its sister program “Norwin
Ninjas” assembled over 100 students to make a bold statement in record setting heat by
kicking one mile non-stop though the racetrack at Boyce Park this past September. The
students showcased their skill and donated over $10,000 to aid The Pittsburgh Institute for
Neurodegenerative Diseases (PIND) for research. In all, over the past three years, the PIND
event has raised over $1 million dollars through appropriations, grants and sponsors. 100%
goes directly for experimental tests in hopes of finding the cure in Pittsburgh.
The “KICK” concept was developed Irwin native Bill Viola Jr., founder of Kumite Classic
Entertainment, and former Pennsylvania State Senator Sean Logan. Logan was diagnosed
with early onset Parkinson’s disease in his mid-forties and Viola spent years caring for his
Grandmother who passed away from neurodegenerative complications. Viola partnered
with Logan in 2017 to add a “Kick-a-thon” element to the 5k, and its growth has been
exponential. Viola explains, “Last year the KICK participants raised just over $5000 with 50
participants. This year we doubled both brining us up to over $15,000 with just two kicks-a-thons.
The “KICKS” are a unique way to attract sponsors and big donors. It helps us raise
the big numbers.
PIND offers a unique twist to the traditional 5K by incorporating Viola’s “Kick-a-thon” concept.
Viola explains, “There are a lot of in-house kick-a-thons that take place at schools, but none
that actually kick for distance in the heat. This is the first of its kind.” The estimated amount
of kicks thrown by each participant was 1500 and with over 100 students, the total number
was approximately 150,000 kicks.
Viola said, “The cause is near and dear to my heart. I’ve been looking for a way to fight this
epidemic, and having my school ‘Kick’ for a cure was a perfect fit. Building ‘character’ is an
important part of martial arts. My students exceeded my expectations. Their selflessness is
incredible.” 9-year-old Mike Barone led the group of by donating nearly $2015 followed by
11-year-old Aidan Thornton ($900) and 5-year-old Madden McKeever ($800).
Although Viola is known internationally for his competitive success in karate he says,
“Trophies collect dust. Making an impact on the community is priceless. They are making
a difference and learning the value of paying in forward. I tell them, every kick of kindness
creates an endless a ripple in our community.”
The Viola Karate Dojo has been offering traditional Shotokan Karate, sport martial arts,
kickboxing and Japanese Ju-Jutsu to all ages since 1969. Shihan Viola is credited by the
Heinz History Center as the co-creator of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and is the
inspiration of Amazon best-selling book Tough Guys and the SHOWTIME film Tough Guys.
The school will celebrate its 50-year anniversary next year. More info www.violakarate.com
or www.norwinninjas.com
adno=6629767