North Florida Aikikai -- Dojo Burns Down

[Please visit our sponsor:]

[AikiWeb System]

Posted 2006-09-25 21:46:49 by Erick Mead
News URL: http://nfa.asu.org/

It is with great sadness and sympathy for our sister dojo, North Florida Aikikai in Tallahassee, Florida that I report that their dojo suffered a catastrophic fire on Sept. 23, 2006.

The dojo is apparently a total loss.

The seminar by Dennis Hooker, 6th Dan ASU, which was to be held Sept.29-Oct. 1, has been cancelled.

Please offer your concern for a great bunch of folks: They retain a web presence while they seek temporary accommodation and ultimately relocate: http://nfa.asu.org/.

___________________
~~~ To submit a news item to AikiWeb's front page, click here (http://www.aikiweb.com/news/submit.html). ~~~

[crbateman]

In the manner of the Phoenix, let the rebuilding begin!

[SeiserL]

The Westminster Aikikai Dojo (Orange County, CA) burnt down years ago too.
Within a week we were training in a temporary facility.
Now we have a beautiful Dojo.

Our empathy, compassion, support, and encouragement to all at North Florida Aikikai.

[George S. Ledyard]

Posted 2006-09-25 21:46:49 by Erick Mead
News URL: http://nfa.asu.org/

It is with great sadness and sympathy for our sister dojo, North Florida Aikikai in Tallahassee, Florida that I report that their dojo suffered a catastrophic fire on Sept. 23, 2006.

The dojo is apparently a total loss.

The seminar by Dennis Hooker, 6th Dan ASU, which was to be held Sept.29-Oct. 1, has been cancelled.

Please offer your concern for a great bunch of folks: They retain a web presence while they seek temporary accommodation and ultimately relocate: http://nfa.asu.org/.

___________________
~~~ To submit a news item to AikiWeb's front page, click here (http://www.aikiweb.com/news/submit.html). ~~~
There was some talk that Hooker Sensei might actually do the seminar anyway at Orlando. I would check with them...

[Janet Rosen]

I'm so so sorry to read of this. May the dojo community stay strong and keep training and have a new home soon.

[crbateman]

As a sidenote, the e-mail addies shown on their website are returning mail. Does anybody have a known good address for them?

[Richard Moore]

I will check with our webmaster on the email. In the meantime, here are the email addresses of our instructors

Mike Page Head Instructor pagem@doacs.state.fl.us

Dan Evans 'Dan.Evans@dca.state.fl.us'

Tracy Wujcik tracywuj@aol.com

Eric Lingswiller TheE83@comcast.net

Richard Moore richardm@moore-pr.com

Mark Ice avc@nettally.com

Thank you for your concern. We are meeting this weekend to start looking for new space.

[TAnderson]

The problem with the admin mailboxes for NFA has been resolved. Both of the following addresses are now functioning:

nfa-webmaster@asu.org

nfa-info@asu.org

Thanks,

Tim Anderson

[aikidoc]

Best of luck on this. I was training at a place that burned down. Fortunately, we were only using a room and the owner managed to find another location quickly.

[Jory Boling]

Please don't give up. I returned to college after a summer away to find my kenjutsu dojo had burned down and the sensei just up and vanished. uhh... if any of you know Christopher Weller of Hokushin Itto Ryu please tell him i'm still trying to find him!

[crbateman]

The problem with the admin mailboxes for NFA has been resolved. Both of the following addresses are now functioning:

nfa-webmaster@asu.org

nfa-info@asu.org

Thanks,

Tim AndersonI'm still having mail sent to nfa-info@asu.org
returned with the following message:

The original message was received at Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:50:09 -0500 from imf23aec.mail.bellsouth.net [205.152.59.71]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- nfaikikai@excite.com
(reason: 554 <crbateman@bellsouth.net>: Sender address rejected: Access denied)
(expanded from: <nfa-info@asu.org>)

----- Transcript of session follows ----- ... while talking to xmxpita.excite.com.:
>>> DATA
<<< 554 <crbateman@bellsouth.net>: Sender address rejected: Access denied
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable
<<< 554 Error: no valid recipients
>>> RSET
<<< 421 xprdmx11.nwk.excite.com Error: too many errors



Any suggestions??

[TAnderson]

Clark,

I have verified that the NFA email account is sending and receiving messages without errors. From the transcript you posted it looks as if your particular address is being rejected for some reason. I will have the admin investigate further....

Here is the official stated reason from the email service provider (Excite)
------------------------------------
554: Sender address rejected: Access denied

- This address is listed on our "black list" of email addresses, or is on the black list of one of the spam filter lists we use to lessen the amount of Spam our users receive. You should have the owner of this address contact us if they have questions.
-----------------------------------------------------

Tim Anderson

[crbateman]

Thanks, Tim. I sure wouldn't spam anybody with an addy containing my own name. Apparently, excite.com does not know this. I've contacted them for a fix. Thanks again for your help.

[shodan 83]

Dear fellow Aikidoka,

On September 23, 2006, the North Florida Aikikai Sho dojo was completely destroyed in a fire. Thankfully, no one was in the facility at the time. There has been no official word on the cause of the fire.
Although North Florida Aikikai was established in 1993, the Sho dojo was built in 2001 by dojo members who generously devoted their finances, time, and materials. During construction, we quickly recognized that our efforts would result in something very special. Mitsugi Saotome Shihan generously allowed us to associate his “Sho” calligraphy with the dojo to celebrate our “new beginning.” Dennis Hooker Sensei performed a ceremonial dojo opening in June of 2001. Since that time, North Florida Aikikai has more than doubled in membership and has hosted numerous seminars. Photographs of the dojo before and after the fire are available on our website (www.nfa.asu.org). In the wake of this disaster, we have been forced to search for a temporary training location.
The members of North Florida Aikikai are currently developing a program to build another dojo. However, the costs of this project are heavy. Since everything inside the dojo was destroyed by the fire, we are forced to start over completely. This involves, among other things, furnishing the new dojo with mats, weapons, a shomen, and various related items – not to mention construction costs. Although our members are willing to contribute all they can to the construction efforts, the costs remain staggering. Therefore, we at North Florida Aikikai are reaching out to the larger Aikido and martial arts community for help in the rebuilding efforts. We are asking for financial contributions of any amount to raise the capital required to complete this endeavor. We also welcome any equipment donations (or price reductions from retailers) to replace the items destroyed in the fire. Since North Florida Aikikai is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible (for more information on not-for-profit donations, contact Rich Moore at (richardm@moore-pr.com). The website mentioned above will provide regular updates on our progress and any other fundraising activities.

Please send any contributions to:
North Florida Aikikai
c/o Tracy Wucjik, Financial Manager
913 Alliegood Court
Tallahassee, Florida 32303

We at North Florida Aikikai are determined to overcome this tragedy. The spirit of our dojo has proved invulnerable to the devastating effects of the fire. With your help we will be able to re-establish the North Florida Aikikai dojo.

With Sincere Appreciation,

The members of North Florida Aikikai

[akiy]

Hi Eric,

Is there any way for people to send in donations via PayPal?

My thoughts are with you at this time.

Best,

-- Jun

[KevinVac]

Hi Eric,

Is there any way for people to send in donations via PayPal?

My thoughts are with you at this time.

Best,

-- Jun


PayPal options are currently being investigated. We hope to offer that option soon.

Kevin Vaccarella