Community & Family

  • Alex Marulanda, a student, and Michael Olusczak, the instructor and owner, hold a bamboo pole used in jumping drills. Malik Symonette, a Whitebelt student, jumps over the pole. Photo by Chelsea Matiash

    Teaching a neighborhood to defend itself

    For a while, Michael Olusczak had been mulling the idea of opening a karate school in the Village West community. As a karate instructor at a nearby center, Olusczak was familiar with the area. But when one of his students was mugged a year ago, two blocks away from Grand Avenue, Olusczak knew for certain…

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