Making a Difference in Jacksonville and North Florida Spark Top 15 Milestones of 2010

On 01/01/10, if you would have told me of all the amazing milestones, and blessings that 2010 would bring to Atlantic Warriors Wing Chun Gung Fu, I would have thought you were dreaming. Your thoughts would have brought a big smile from me, and I would have said, "I like the way you think, but that sounds impossible. How can one person do all that?" In reply, you may have said something along the lines of, "Well, one person may not be able without a tremendous amount of help, or divine favor." To that, I would have replied, "O.K., I see your point. I should either start begging people for help, or start praying quick". Then you would have smiled, and said, "I like the way you think, nothing is impossible".

At the beginning of the year, my whole motivation was to make a difference in the Jacksonville community, and somehow make the citizens of Jacksonville, Florida, and the North Florida communities safer from the escalating crime in the area.This motivation was quickly converted into a goal, and then the most important ingredient was added... ACTION was taken. As a result, my organization was able to make a real, tangible difference in many citizen's lives. Sometimes teaching and training for 13 hours straight, for months on end, there was no time to sit and reflect, or celebrate what was happening. Instead, the phone would ring again, from someone who was afraid for their life, or well being, and it would be time to go teach, train, and equip them how to protect themselves and families from violence.

It was only until after Christmas, that I would have a few days of quiet solitude to reflect on the year that was 2010. While thinking about the year, I decided to put pencil to paper and jot a few of my thoughts down. What happened next was truly amazing! The impossible HAD taken place! After wagging my head back and forth in temporary unbelief, I had to humbly bow my head in thanksgiving, and acknowledge that divine favor had ruled the day. The following list is not exhaustive, as there are several more that I am leaving off the list. However, I will let you in on a little secret. These top 15 milestones where NOT accomplished by seeking after a milestone, or recognition. The truth is, these were actually accomplished by staying true to the original goal, and never losing sight of the my simple motivation, which was to make a difference in the Jacksonville community.

Here are the Top 15 Milestones listed from lowest to highest.

#15 - Sifu Jonathan Petree was voted the 2010 RBF Self-Defense Instructor of the Year for Women's Self-Defense by the GNPRBFI.

#14 - Atlantic Warriors was awarded the 2010 Community Enrichment Award for its effort, commitment, and results in making the community a safer place.

#13 -  Became a member of the AIFBY Chamber of Commerce.

#12 - Atlantic Warriors was invited to join the Better Business Bureau because of its reputation of integrity in the community. Atlantic Warriors humbly accepted.

#11 - Sifu Petree was interviewed by Fox 30 News for a special Women's Self-Defense news segment to help Jacksonville-area women protect themselves against violent crime. It was aired on TV during the 6PM and 11PM news.

#10 - Atlantic Warriors was interviewed, and highlighted in both the Florida Times-Union newspaper and the Shorelines newspaper. The newspapers published the articles to inform Jacksonville-area residents of the top-quality self-defense classes, and Wing Chun training available right here in North Florida.

#9 - Sifu Petree led the charge to bring the first-ever Wing Chun Kung Fu movie to Jacksonville, Florida. The movie is named, Ip Man, and is a biopic of the the life of the founder of modern Wing Chun Gung Fu. The movie was played on the big screen in the historic 5 Points Theater in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida.

#8 - Atlantic Warriors was invited by the Florida Coastal School of Law to participate in its Annual Health and Wellness Fair. As a result, many attendees were further educated in personal protection skills.

#7 - Sifu Petree was asked to do a kung fu demonstration for the children of a Jacksonville, Florida church.

#6 - Sifu Petree participated in the first Wing Chun Convention in the United States.

#5 - Atlantic Warriors celebrated the first anniversary of its second school location. A.W.O.L.- Atlantic Warriors Ocean Location has become the premier location to study Ip Man lineage Wing Chun Kung Fu in the Jacksonville, Florida area.

#4 - Atlantic Warriors provided  two (2) Wing Chun Immersion training camps. Each of these weekend retreats on the lake provided attendees with over 16 hours of Wing Chun and personal protection training.

#3 - 22 dedicated Wing Chun students successfully achieved well-earned promotions to a higher level on their Wing Chun paths.

#2 - Atlantic Warriors provided 12 Women's Self-Defense Seminars for the Jacksonville, Florida community in 2010. As a result, dozens of area women were equipped with life-saving personal protection skills.

#1 - This is unequivocally the highest honor, and unparalleled milestone of them all. Four female, and 3 male student's lives were saved by the training they received at Atlantic Warriors Wing Chun Gung Fu. These students were randomly attacked in various locations around the world, and thankfully all survived without a scratch.