This young karate teacher hopes his YouTube channel is more contagious than the current pandemic—because he wants to keep seniors active, even if they’re stuck inside.
Jeffrey Wall just turned 15, yet he is the founder of Golden Age Karate, an outreach program he began last October to teach seniors at the Friendship Village nursing home in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Then, two days before the final class, the shelter-in-place order came down from the Ohio governor halting his personal fitness crusade for the elderly—or did it?
Wall began studying karate at the age of six and, just four years later, was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall Of Fame. He earned his black belt at age 13 and—like his personal journey—his dedication to students is unwavering.
“I knew that they would be super disappointed,” Wall said of the new quarantine.
So he started a YouTube Channel to help them keep up their lessons. Now younger students are taking the classes, too—and the love he shows his seniors is spreading.
In fact, many of Wall’s Instagram followers are making ornaments and crafts to help decorate the walls of the nursing home on a future visit.
Before the pandemic began, each hourlong class would attract between 5-10 residents in their golden years—and they didn’t come just to watch.
Wall used demonstrations in the beginning so his seniors would know what to expect. His first example was showing how he does push ups on his knuckles—a good way to take the pressure off your wrists. Suddenly he saw students aged 90 and older on the floor doing pushups alongside him.
“My mom and I tried to help them up, but they wanted to keep going,” he told Good News Network. “One 95-year-old student did 10 pushups in her nice sweater and pearls and she did great! We laugh about that at every class.”
Wall also has a personal client who is 90 and reminds him of his…
This article was sourced from the Good News Network.