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

The fact that the instructor does not ritualize the program with traditions was a factor in my trying the class. I respect the teacher’s unbelievable desire to share his skill and knowledge for reasons other than any notable financial gain. I have always wanted to learn some type of martial arts but I never pursued it for one reason or anther. With Rob’s class there are no excuses. To say it’s affordable is an understatement. The environment is structured yet very casual. But what impressed me most is how unintimidating the whole experience is & how much Rob gives of himself to the class. After a couple classes, the biggest surprise was how little focus I had when it came to using the brain and body at the same time. I have attended the class for one month now and I can see a definite improvement. The class emphasizes what would be the most logical and effective action in a self-defense scenario. After attending for one month I can think of nothing negative to say about the whole experience. I look forward to every session and (surprisingly) leave class feeling more energized than when I arrived. The class offers a chance for you to try martial arts (self-defense) with little commitment… it sounds too good to be true, HOWEVER this guy (class) is for real.

~ Derek Siemens, Student

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