The Power of Martial Arts
April 21, 2010 marked a very special day in the history of Evolve Mixed Martial Arts®. The Evolve Community Outreach Program came to life after lots of hard work. The primary goal of the program is to help underprivileged children and orphans by making a lifelong positive impact on their lives through the martial arts.
The inspiration for the Evolve Community Outreach Program is Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong. Kru Yoddecha is a Muay Thai World Champion and Instructor at Evolve MMA. At 7 years old, he became a homeless orphan and lived on the streets alone. He was eventually ensnared into a mafia gang and forced into child slavery for four years. By a pure miracle, he was rescued at 11 years old by a Muay Thai fighter named Vichai Sityodtong. For Kru Yoddecha, Muay Thai saved his life - literally and figuratively. Kru Yoddecha would later go on to become an international superstar and Muay Thai World Champion before joining Evolve MMA. (For an article by Men's Health magazine on Kru Yoddecha's life, please click here.)
Today, Kru Chatri, Kru Yoddecha, Kru Lamnammoon, and Papa Rich Wee gave a motivational talk to the orphans and troubled kids at The Boys Town Home. They talked about their own life stories and how they went from living in poverty to achieving their dreams. Last year, the program started by offering free training at Evolve MMA to a small group of kids. The results have been dramatic in terms of changing the children's lives for the better. Growing on the success of last year, more children from Boys Town Home have been invited to receive free training at Evolve MMA as a way to help them to change their lives in a positive way.
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| Kru Chatri Sityodtong, Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong, and Kru Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee with the boys at Boys Town Home |
Without the help of a remarkable student at Evolve MMA, this dream of launching the Evolve Community Outreach Program would not have been possible. 58 year old Rich Wee demonstrated extraordinary leadership and undying passion; he worked vigorously with Kru Chatri Sityodtong and Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong to launch the Evolve Community Outreach Program last year. Evolve is eternally indebted to Rich Wee for his invaluable help and contributions to the Evolve Family. For Kru Chatri and Kru Yoddecha, this program has deep personal significance; they have a very special bond because they started Muay Thai together at the legendary Sityodtong Camp in Thailand almost 25 years ago. Sityodtong Camp is well-known in Thailand for taking in orphans and underprivileged children and transforming their lives. So the circle of life continues with the Evolve Community Outreach Program.
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| Kru Chatri Sityodtong with Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong and Kru Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee giving a talk to the kids |
MISSION
The Evolve Community Outreach Program is a multi-faceted approach to helping children in need. For its first partner, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® has joined hands with The Boys' Town Home. The Boys' Town Home is a charitable institution focused on helping troubled children and orphans who have been forgotten by society. The children live at Boys' Town Home, a sanctuary dedicated to enriching their lives with love and life skills. Many of these children are unwanted by their own families and/or have been completely abandoned by their families and society. In other cases, their families simply cannot afford to care for the children. In their first visit to Boys' Town Home last year, Kru Yoddecha and Kru Chatri were both brought to tears when they gave emotional speeches to the children. This year, a new batch of kids will be starting their journey at Evolve MMA, and more importantly, their journey of unleashing their potential as human beings.
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| Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong and Kru Lamnammoon Sor Sumalee with some of the kids at Boys Town Home |
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| Kru Chatri Sityodtong with some of the kids at Boys Town Home |
Evolve MMA has become a family to these children and has made a lifelong positive impact on their lives through the martial arts. The Evolve Instructor Team serves as life mentors and has been teaching martial arts to the kids on a pro bono basis at Evolve MMA. It is our goal to transform the lives of these children by nurturing them with the benefits of martial arts. They have inherited confidence, mental strength, self-discipline, a pure work ethic, self-defense skills, and much more. Above all, they have been taught to dream and to unleash their potential in every area of life.
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia's premier brand of MMA academies. With World Champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, and No Gi Grappling, Evolve MMA is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. It ranks among the best martial arts academies in the world.
