Local karate instructor continues to change lives

Back in December we introduced you to Sensei Tamara Canedo as she helped change the lives of three local special needs students with the sport of karate. Canedo is now taking it a step further with a goal to help as many as she can right here in the Coachella Valley. Cody Krupp has the story.

“I now declare you a yellow belt,” Sensei Tamara Canedo said.

Her passion is on another level.

Back in December we showed you the impact that Sensei Tamara Canedo made with three local special needs students and USA Karate took notice.

“The news doing the segment, I flew out to Chicago with the Para-Olympic coach of our country Sensei Jeff Cohn and he taught me this fantastic program that gave me confidence which I feel I lacked a little of,” Canedo said.

With the inspiration taking over she knew right away what her future had in store.

“Throw myself out to the special needs community and start teaching them,” Canedo said.

She wasted no time in finding her next group of students to volunteer her time.

“Her mother said, Tamara there are some special needs kids over there, go get them. She came running,” Susie Hayes said, the site supervisor for the Desert Hot Springs chapter of the United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire.

While looking for a new location to open her new gym, she ran into a field for the Desert Hot Springs chapter of United Cerebral Palsy and the rest is history.

“It blossomed from there. Of course we had to go through the bosses of UCP and all that but the kids have enjoyed it. It’s been awesome,” Hayes said.

“It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The most rewarding. I have never in my life been so happy as I am right now teaching the special needs community,” Canedo said.

New students with all kinds of different challenges.

“We have Cerebral Palsy, delay learning, there is a variety,” Hayes said.

After a lot of hard work they earned their first karate belt. The white belt to the yellow belt while getting better by the day.

First Lorenzo.

Then Frankie

“I get to wear my favorite color now,” Frankie Velasquez said.

And how about Ismarie with her answer to her favorite thing to do so far.

“The splits,” Ismarie Matus said.

And Jamie Duncan’s answer.

“The splits.”

“Now I just see him as a blossoming flower,” Jamie’s Mother Sally Duncan said.

And Clay James.

“The kicks, and blocks, and the splits. I’ll show you the splits.”

And the Valedictorian Arturo. The best exam of the class.

“It felt fantastic,” Arturo Melero said.

“He had braces and the first time he sat down. After that he has been daring. Been standing up without braces. He’s been great,” Hayes said.

By the end of summer Indio and La Quinta’s United Cerebral Palsy chapters are going to take Desert Hot Springs’ lead and bring them the karate they just might need.

“She just gives us motivation,” Velasquez said.

It doesn’t stop there. Her goal is set high.

“My goal is to get all of them. Nothing is going to stop me at this point,” Canedo said.