The Gift of Power: Better than any Black Friday Deal

Each of us has had the experience of trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one during the holiday season. Be it our mom who has one of everything in every color, or our college-aged sister who is too hip to shop for successfully; we’ve all watched as their expectant eyes start moving to the next box before our wrapping has even hit the floor. It may be tempting to pick up another scarf or jam-of-the-month club membership this year, but loved ones can instead pack a punch – literally – with a gift of IMPACT self-defense training.

Giving a woman in your life a self-defense course shows her that your care for her is deeper than any material gift, you care about her well-being as she moves through the world.  “Giving the gift of a self-defense training course is unique because it is not something she can wear, eat or look at,” comments IMPACT Chicago Director Emeritus Martha Thompson. “Instead, she will enhance her verbal and physical safety tools, something she will carry with her the rest of her life.”  This is not a gift she will be re-gifting or returning, and it’s always the right size.  

As IMPACT grads know, students of IMPACT develop their fighting spirit and skills in a safe, female-led environment. In a variety of realistic bedroom and street assault scenarios, participants use full-force strikes – such as the palm heel and ax kick – on padded male instructors acting as assailants.  More than ninety percent of women who experience the IMPACT Chicago Core Program  report a substantial increase in confidence and self-awareness. This is not just a gift you can give a special woman in your life, it’s a gift you can give yourself! 

The next IMPACT Chicago Core Program for women ages 16 and older will be held January 26, 27 and February 2, 3 at the Knapp Center located at 3145 W. Pratt Blvd., Chicago, IL  60645. Complete details about this and other upcoming IMPACT programs are available at www.impactchicago.org. Scholarships and payment plans are available. For advanced students, the next advanced class will be Defense Against Multiple Assailants to be held in May 2013. (Keep checking the website for details!)

To get a glimpse into what women learn in the course and to support the next class of women entering our graduate circle, consider attending “What is IMPACT?” It’s a free presentation at the end of an IMPACT Core Program. The next one will be held at the Knapp Center on February 3 from 12:30-2:30. For more information, please call (773) 561-9000, email info@impactchicago.org, or visit the website www.impactchicago.org.

To order a gift certificate, contact IMPACT  (773-561-9000 or info@impactchicago.org).  To receive in time for an upcoming holiday, please order by

Hanukkah, December 6

Winter Solstice, Christmas, or Kwanza: December 19

New Years, December 26
For Your Special Occasion, let us know!

Molly Norris and Martha Thompson