Thank you to all those who helped make our 2021 drive-through event a success! With a little social distancing, we were still able to gather and celebrate our 2021 martial artists and Belting Ceremony participants! Congratulations to all.

2021 ANNUAL BELTING CEREMONY CELEBRATION
Written by Ashley Krause, KKC Intern
Photos by Josh Schwartz
It has been an exciting week here at Kids Kicking Cancer, as our kids and families joined us for our annual Belting Ceremony.
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has taken a toll on all of us. With this ever-going obstacle stopping us from having our annual belting ceremony at Cranbrook institute of Arts, we had to get creative. Last summer, we decided to do a drive-through belting ceremony. Keeping in line with COVID-19 precautions, the event was an absolute hit! With the amazing turnout we were able to pull off in 2020, we are happy to say that this year’s event was another huge success.
Our Annual Drive-Through Belting Ceremony brought smiles and laughter to our kids, their families and our staff. The kids were finally able to see their hard work pay off as they have been working all year on acquiring new skills and techniques to move onto their next belt level. It’s truly wonderful that we all were able to rejoice in person and celebrate this occasion together!
THANK YOU!
This event would not have been possible without the amazing work from our staff and volunteers. We would also like to give a big thank you to Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions for donating Bose earbuds, the Billy Bear Hug Foundation for donating teddy bears, Love Your Melon for donating hats, Sent with Love for donating headbands, and the alumni from the Gamma Phi Delta Sorority for donating gifts for our 3–6-year-old program participants.
These kids and families continue to amaze us every day, and the belting ceremony was no exception. As the cars drove by, we were able to take in the creative decoration’s that families added to their cars. From homemade signs to streamers, lei necklaces and car paintings, it was very clear that the excitement was mutual between both staff and families. We had an awesome turnout with over 160 people in attendance and even an appearance from an unnamed but very cute 8-week-old puppy.
We would also like to thank our families, staff, and volunteers for making events like this possible. It’s an extraordinary feeling having everyone come together — even in the face of adversity. I think that I can speak on behalf of us all when I say that we are all grateful to still make programs like this work despite the challenges that COVID had thrown at us.
Congratulations to our 2021 martial artists and Belting Ceremony participants!