CHAMPS Achievers Foundation was founded in 1989 by Helen Dugan, a retired school nurse and 3rd degree American Karate black belt. After many years, Helen has stepped away from daily management of dojo activities, while remaining active in teaching and training. Helen understood that by adapting CHAMPS programs to the particular needs of its students, the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of
the martial arts could be made available to a broad range of people with special needs. CHAMPS is a §501(c)3 non-profit foundation serving the Greater KC Metro area. We practice an adaptive form of American Karate as a way to improve the well being of children, teens, and adults with special needs through the martial arts. The program builds on a student's strengths and focuses on what a student CAN do, rather than what they are unable to do. CHAMPS students not only earn belts for mastering the components of each rank, they are also awarded patches and badges for achievements in life skills. Volunteerism, perseverance, attitude, self-discipline, cleanliness, respect, and honesty are emphasized and taught throughout our program. CHAMPS incorporates role models and peers, (students without disabilities), who are instructed at levels suiting their abilities as well. The special needs students are able to compete with non-disabled students on a relatively equal field. The role models learn about disabilities and are exposed to many forms of special needs. During the Spring and Fall semesters, our students include KU Med Occupational Therapy students who help our special needs children at no extra charge, therapy they may not receive outside of CHAMPS. Our students learn that everyone has to overcome, and the differences between them are not nearly as huge an they had previously believed. The program has also expanded beyond American Karate. It now includes Judo, Jujitsu, T'ai Chi, and Women's Self Defense. Everyone is welcome to become a student. Siblings of special needs students are encouraged to attend and become instructors in training. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed under Federal income tax laws.
