BackProsperous and Healthy New Year

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to extend everyone best wishes for a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year! 

Last year provided many opportunities for us to meet in different parts of the world for competitions and seminars.  2008 looks to be another great year for this and we are all looking forward to it!

Our events have given us a great venue to share a passion we have in common.  Taekwon-Do will only continue to grow if we continue in this regard by providing events were people from different parts of the world can come together to learn and also show case their skills.  It is important that we support these events as the benefits received by the participants far exceed the effort to prepare, attend and participate.  I also encourage people to plan events for our organization.

I reflect on 2007 with great pride.   I embarked on two new projects.  The first where I attend at a Rehabilitation Centre for youth that have substance dependencies every other Friday and teach a class where I explain to them how living your life with "do"  provides the tools needed to stay drug free.  The program is now in its second year has fifty participants and I have logged more than 60 hours of class time with this group.  Even though they are not martial artists they have taken to our philosophy and it has clearly made a difference in their outlook.  The results have been excellent and as a result of the success of the program, I hope at upcoming taekwon-do seminars to share some of the ideas and lessons.  Clearly Taekwon-do can make a difference to someone's life even if only by way of introduction to the proper way of leading ones life.

My second project is teaching Taekwon-Do to mentally and physically handicapped young men and women.  I have been running a class every Friday for the last year and again plan to continue this in 2008.

We are blessed in ways, ladies and gentlemen that few of us understand and appreciate.  Together with my wishes for a fantastic New Year, remember those less fortunate and give them an opportunty they may not otherwise have.

I look forward to seeing everyone and sharing the true spirit of taekwon-do this year whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Michael Tibollo
Vice President
International Taekwon-Do Federation