Mission
Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center, NFP fosters fitness, healing, empowerment and peacemaking by promoting healthy minds and bodies through violence prevention, self-defense and traditional martial arts programs for adults and children of all ages.
Our members apply the skills they learn at Thousand Waves to transform their lives at home, school, work, and in public spaces. This creates a powerful community spirit of civility, self-worth, and compassion in action. Through partnerships with schools, other non-profits, businesses and government agencies, we also bring the tools of violence prevention and personal empowerment to diverse communities. We encourage everyone’s participation regardless of racial or ethnic background, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or fitness level.
Mother McAuley, February 2015
History
In 1984, Nancy Lanoue and her partner Jeannette Pappas moved from New York to Chicago with a new black belt, a decade of experience in empowerment self-defense, and a crazy dream—to create a safe and beautiful place for women to get stronger and feel more empowered. That dream became the Women’s Gym, a feminist health club that offered training in Seido karate. Pappas died in 1989, and in 1991, Sarah Ludden moved to Chicago and joined Thousand Waves, studying Seido karate and teaching a second martial art, Kajukenbo kung fu. The school had 50 women and 20 children students.
In 1995 The Women’s Gym made a big change – we began offering programming for all genders, enabling everyone to experience the benefits of martial arts training and heal from violence as allies. To facilitate a growing membership, the school moved to our present location and changed its name to Thousand Waves. In 2001, the organization aligned its structure with its spirit of volunteerism and access for all by incorporating as a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors.
In 2016, Lanoue and Ludden transitioned out of their roles as Co-Executive Directors to focus on teaching and further developing our corps of instructors. The Board hired longtime Director of Operations and Instructor Ryan Libel to serve as our first non-founding Executive Director. He continues to serve, overseeing a paid and volunteer instructor and administrative team that strives to fulfill Lanoue’s decades old crazy dream: a safe and beautiful place that contributes to setting positive waves in motion for our members and our community. We currently serve over 225 members of all ages and genders.
