JACKSONVILLE - The City Council of Jacksonville will recognize Yesha Ministries in honor of their 25 year anniversary at their meeting Tuesday, February 12. Members will present a resolution commending Yesha Ministries founder Charles W. Coker, PhD and a host of volunteers whom “provide exemplary community service with inspiring commitment to the Jacksonville community.”

Yesha Ministries is a non-profit organization offering free Olympic style Taekwondo training to over 400 students throughout the Jacksonville area. Some classes often include entire families. Taekwondo is a hard style Korean martial art that is an Olympic sporting event. Yesha is supported by grants and community donations. The goal of the ministry is to enhance the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of students. The classes have produced local, state, regional and national champions in AAU, Olympic, Jr. Olympic, and US National competitions. Some 200 Black Belts have been certified.

It began in June 1983 with Coker leading a single class in a Beaches church. Presently, the ministry prides itself with having trained over 2,500 students. The impetus for Yesha was the death of Coker’s wife in December 1982. At the time Coker owned commercial schools, but he soon lost interest in running them. “God spoke to me and said give it away,” says Coker. Yesha Ministries was born from what Coker felt was his true calling.

Coker admits this commitment takes a lot of work. “But you never know when an investment in a kid will pay back. As a father of nine, I’d rather invest in kids than things. Kids are the future.” This philosophy is what motivates over 40 volunteer instructors. They provide training in churches and Christian schools in Mandarin, Fruit Cove, East Arlington and everywhere in between. He is now seeing original members bringing in their children for the same training they received years earlier. “That’s really neat to see. It’s all about the kids,” says Coker.

The program requires students to complete at least one service project before earning a Blue Belt in the belief that serving fellow man is key in becoming a true martial artist. An additional service project is required prior to testing for their Black Belt. One such project involved hosting a 4-week self defense course for area Jacksonville Girl Scouts. In 2007, the Competition Team held a car wash to help fund regional and national competitions earning enough to also make a donation to the Humane Society.

With all that encompasses the training, the effect can be life changing. According to one parent, Betty Austin, the program has helped her daughter step out of her box. “She began with Yesha Ministries in June of 2006 and since then I have watched her come of out of her cocoon and blossom into an outgoing, active Christian girl who shines with enthusiasm….The change in her is noticed by friends and family as well as her teachers at school.”

Coker’s experience with martial arts began at the age of 19. He studied several styles before discovering that his true love was fulfilled in Taekwondo. Coker, a 6^th Degree Black Belt, believes the nature of martial arts competition has spurred his personal and professional development. He left the corporate arena in 1993 for the speaking circuit. He has served as President of the National Speaker’s Association and was named “Speaker of the Year” for the North Florida Chapter. His gift as a motivator makes him a sought after speaker in the field of employee development. He currently serves as the Director of Human Capital for MECLABS Group, the parent company of MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa.

Jacksonville City Council will present the resolution February 12^th at City Hall during its regularly scheduled meeting which begins at 5 p.m.

Visit http://www.yeshaministries.com for more information about Yesha Ministries.