A Very Special Day
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.)
Without the help of a remarkable student at Evolve MMA, this dream of launching the Evolve Community Outreach Program would not have been possible. 57 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. 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.
The Evolve Community Outreach Program will be 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 (http://www.boystown.org.sg). 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 a couple months ago, Kru Yoddecha and Kru Chatri were both brought to tears when they gave emotional speeches to the children.
Evolve MMA hopes to become a family to these children while making a lifelong positive impact on their lives through the martial arts. The Evolve Instructor Team will serve as life mentors and will be teaching martial arts to the kids on a pro bono basis. It is our goal to transform the lives of these children by nurturing them with the benefits of martial arts. They will inherit confidence, mental strength, self-discipline, a pure work ethic, self-defense skills, and much more. Above all, they will be taught to dream and to unleash their potential in every area of life.
Here are some pictures of the first day for Hu Qing Song (17), Sohin Kumar (14), Francis Leonardo (15), Aaron Tan (16), and Tan Hsien Hwee (14). Please be sure to give them a warm welcome to the Evolve Family!
Pictured below is Kru Yoddecha Sityodtong at Boys' Town Home a couple months ago.
Pictured below is Kru Chatri Sityodtong with Qing Song, Sohin, Francis, Aaron, and Hsien Hwee.
Pictured below are Rich Wee with some members of the Evolve Instructor Team and the boys from Boys' Town Home. In the second row in the Evolve black t-shirts are (from left to right) Terence Chin, Ped Sityodtong, Rich Wee, Papa Sityodtong, and Yoddecha Sityodtong. In the first row (from left to right) are Hsien Hwee, Aaron, Francis, Qing Song, and Sohin.
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts®. Achieve Greatness Within.
