You know you are excited when you wake up at 3:30am EST thinking the 2020 Paralympic Games opening ceremonies start at that time, only to find out you are three and a half hours early,
2020 would have been ten years El Toro NonProfit started as a small business concern holding its first El Toro Fall Bash in 2011 to raise money for student athletes competing in Judo. 2020 was the year our friend and judo student of El Toro Judo Club would achieve her goal by making the USA Judo Paralympic Team.
Over the years our fundraising has helped student athletes in Judo with national and international travel. Our networking has provided scholarship opportunities for a student/athlete to attend Morehouse. We’ve donated to local charities and gave dollars during the pandemic to families we knew were out of work. We’ve been able to provide a Judo scholarship to the son of a disabled veteran for five years. That student is now number one in the country in his age group.
Our children. Our veterans. Our community. In 2020 we all took a step back dealing with the pandemic. 2021 brought back hope for all that we had put on hold in 2020. In a couple of hours we will see the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Paralympic Games. In a couple of days we will see Marie Liana Mutia compete in Judo. A journey that began at a small dojo in Raleigh, North Carolina and has arrived in Tokyo, Japan. Best of luck to all the competitions. Go Team USA! Carry on, Liana.