On June 24th, two earthquakes struck Venezuela, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving thousands more injured. Like many of you, we felt the weight of that news and wanted to respond in a way that feels true to who we are — by training together, and by helping.

A group of Venezuelan aikidoists is organizing a charity seminar, and Capital Aikikai of Wisconsin is proud to be part of it. Our friends at Florida Aikikai have generously opened their dojo in Fort Lauderdale to host the event, and we want to invite our whole community — students, instructors, and friends of the dojo — to join us on the mat and in intention.

The seminar takes place on Saturday, July 11th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Florida Aikikai, 730 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Leading the practice will be a group of Venezuelan instructors: Emmanuel Herzog (6th dan shihan), Erwin Lares (4th dan), Isabel De La Vega (4th dan), Ricardo Manzo (3rd dan), Carlos Frick (3rd dan), and Omar Morales (3rd dan). It is going to be a special mat.

All proceeds go directly to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela.All proceeds go directly to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela. We are actively assessing relief organizations on the ground to make sure the resources you entrust to us reach those who need them most — and we will be transparent with our community every step of the way. If you can make the trip south, we would love to see you on the mat. If you can't, you can still contribute — either through the event page or via Zelle to Emmanuel Herzog at (954) 608-2047.

We hope to see you there.