8d • General Discussion
Honoring PJ, Living Strong, and the Club Adapt Family
Last year, in 2024, something remarkable happened. Club Adapt reached out to me after seeing the work I’ve been doing here in Mount Laurel through Living Strong Projects and Action Karate. We met in the beginning of 2025, and by March I was teaching my very first Character and Leadership session for their members.
[watch short video about Club Adapt]
Every month since, when I step onto the mat and look into the eyes of those adults — each accompanied by their companion, each bringing their own story, their own challenges, and their own strength — I feel an overwhelming sense of honor. I don’t see limitations. I see people showing up, ready to grow, ready to connect, ready to be seen and heard. And to be part of that process, even for an hour, is one of the most empowering experiences of my life.
This isn’t just another program for me. Every time I lead a session with Club Adapt, I feel the presence of my son PJ. PJ passed away at the age of 12 from complications of MS. His life — short, but filled with courage — continues to shape everything I do. When I’m working with individuals with additional needs, I’m honoring him. I’m giving what I wish I could still give to him: encouragement, laughter, lessons of strength, reminders that he mattered. And he did. He still does.
So when I stand before the members of Club Adapt, I know that many of them may not express themselves in words. But leadership and integrity aren’t just spoken — they’re lived, they’re felt. I see it in their eyes, in the way they listen, in the small gestures, in the courage it takes just to show up and engage. And I see it in their companions — the aides who stand faithfully beside them. In my sessions, I call them Coaches. I require every aide to stay with their member throughout the lesson, not to stand off to the side, but to learn with them. Why? Because I want them to leave empowered, too. I want them to understand how to guide, assist, and support their member beyond our class.
I treat these Coaches the same way I treat my instructors, assistant instructors, and leadership team at Action Karate. I pass on to them the same lessons, principles, and tools. Because if I can help them become better coaches, then together we multiply the impact. They help me help their member — and that ripple effect continues long after the session ends.
Club Adapt is more than an organization. It’s a community where adults with additional needs come together to grow socially, emotionally, and as leaders in their own right. Since March 2025, I’ve witnessed members building confidence, working as a team, and stepping into moments of courage that inspire me. What strikes me most is the atmosphere of dignity and possibility. Everyone has a place. Everyone has a voice — whether spoken or expressed in ways beyond words. And now, with their Coaches walking side by side, they also have guides who are equipped and empowered to continue that journey with them.
My mission through Living Strong Projects has always been to help people rise above adversity — to discover the strength within themselves to keep going, to evolve, to live strong no matter the obstacles. Working with Club Adapt has become a natural extension of that mission. It reminds me that leadership isn’t about titles or belts or achievements. Leadership is about showing up for others. It’s about lifting someone when they need it most. It’s about teaching not just how to throw a punch or break a board, but how to break through the barriers life throws at us.
This work is not just something I do — it’s part of who I am. It’s my calling. And it’s one of the ways I keep PJ’s light alive. Every time I leave a Club Adapt session, I carry a quiet joy with me. Because I know PJ is smiling. Because I know the members are walking a little taller. Because I know the Coaches are walking away with new tools and confidence to keep leading. And because I know this is exactly what I was put here to do: to honor my son, to serve my community, and to help every person I meet discover the power of Living Strong.
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Honoring PJ, Living Strong, and the Club Adapt Family
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