Community Corner

Family Karate Hosting Annual Charity Carnival and Kick-a-Thon

Event on Oct. 12 to raise money for the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund.

Monmouth Junction's Family Karate Super Center will welcome the public to a special event for a great cause on Oct. 12 with their third annual “Kick-a-Thon” event for charity.

The day of fun and, of course, kicks, raises money for the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund, which supports new research and innovation to improve the quality of life for the hearing impaired. The charity also provides hearing aids for children who can't afford them. 

The "Kick-a-Thon" itself works much like a walk-a-thon, where students get friends and family to pledge $1 for every kick they perform. 

Last year, Merrill Osmond of the "Osmond Brothers Band" and his son Justin stopped by the Family Karate Super Center's Kick-a-Thon in support of the school's annual event to raise money for the hearing impaired. 

"We're just honored and touched by Family Karate's generosity," Justin Osmond, who was born with a 90 percent hearing loss, said in a prior interview. "This is the second year they've raised money to help deaf children in the area. Two years in a row they've been one of our top contributors."

Two of the nine famed Osmond children were born with hearing loss, while Justin is the only second generation Osmond born with the deaf gene. Olive established the Osmond Foundation to serve the needs of those seeking a better understanding of the deaf and hearing impaired. 

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Her program then grew into the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), which has generated over $4 billion dollars for children's hospitals around the world, according to the group's web site.

Justin soon followed in his grandmother's footsteps, establishing the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund (OOHF) in her honor. His dream for the OOHF is to fulfill Olive's dream in providing up-to-date technology, education, and resources for the deaf.

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"There are so many kids who can't pay for hearing aids and most insurance companies don't cover it," Justin said. "Most hearing aids cost $5,000 to $6,000. People need to hear just to function, but they can't afford it. That's the main reason we partner with organizations like Family Karate to help bridge the gap. Events like this help us realize our dream and are a huge help."

The annual event will feature face painting, balloon animals, carnival games and food, silent auctions and tricky tray raffles for great prizes. Osmond Brother Shane will also be on hand to help celebrate the occasion, which also serves to teach a valuable lesson to students at the karate school.

"We love doing the Kick-a-Thon to help others in need and also to help teach our students what it means to give back," said Michael Lagunovich of the Family Karate Super Center Leadership Team. "They may not get it now but I am sure they will realize what good they are doing when they look back on this event."

Family Karate Super Center is located at 621 Ridge Road in Monmouth Junction. The carnival on Oct. 12 begins at 2 p.m. with the Kick-a-Thon getting started around 4 p.m.

For more information on the Family Karate Super Center click here. To learn more about helping the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund, click here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here