UMA Receives Award from Volunteer Center of Whatcom County

The Volunteer Center of Whatcom County recently presented me with their “Volunteers with Heart” award.
August 2014 marks the 11th year anniversary of my non-profit, volunteer work with the Max Higbee Recreation Center.volunteers-with-heart-award-logo

The following photos are of me teaching my adaptive martial arts program for developmentally disabled adults in Whatcom County.
(Photos courtesy of Malinda Warder of WarderPhoto)

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The non-profit organization was founded in honor of Western Washington University alum Max Higbee, who began his career at WWU in 1962 as an associate professor of education and eventually served as head of the special education program, later retiring in 1987.

  • Rob Eis
    Unbridled Martial Arts

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Fact: Of the 34% of Washington State residents who do volunteer work their contributions amount to 200 million hours spent each year, valued at almost $5 billion in our state economy. (citation)

Testimonial

Every Tuesday and Thursday night for the past six months, I have attended martial arts classes with Rob Eis at Unbridled Martial Arts. As an active community member, parent and small business owner, finding the time to attend class isn’t always easy, but it is always worth the effort. Unbridled Martial Arts has had a very positive affect on the way I approach physical fitness and life in general. Having never participated in martial arts during my youth, I was reluctant to begin a program as an adult. I have several friends who participate in traditional martial arts programs, and have witnessed their training sessions as well. I knew that the traditional approach was not for me. Unbridled Martial Arts offers an informal, yet well-orchestrated learning environment for adults whose primary goal is to learn technique, effective stretching methods, and self-defense strategies. Rob Eis uses a blend of styles to achieve those goals. From the first night of class I was learning the proper fighting stance. I was throwing punches, executing kicks and using knees. Instead of throwing punches into the air, I was paired with a partner who provided me sensory feedback by holding pads for me to land my blows. In addition to immediately learning new skills, I was getting a good workout and having fun while I was at it. Rob has proven to be a humble and competent teacher. He works well with students of all abilities, taking time to make sure each individual executes each technique properly. I have never left class feeling as though I didn’t learn something new. I look forward to the next six months of instruction from Rob at Unbridled Martial Arts!

~ Jon McGrath

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