in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 11 ,2 02 1 | 20 To get the best security bundle, call 1-855-821-2004 or visit telus.com/SmartHomeSecurity to learn more. Order now, offer ends March 1, 2021. TELUS SmartHome Security protects your territory like never before. *Customers who sign a 3 or 5 year contract for a TELUS SmartHome Security Control plus Video package receive 2 Door/Window Sensors valued at $30 each, 1 Motion sensor valued at $70, 1 Qolsys control panel valued at $495, choice of 1 camera including slimline doorbell camera valued at $230, and choice of 3 security sensors or smart devices including a smart thermostat valued at $180, a smart lock valued at $230, and a flood sensor valued at $70. Included equipment is provided to TELUS SmartHome Security customers as part of the recurring monthly rental fee. Rental equipment must be returned in good condition upon cancellation of service, otherwise the replacement cost will be charged to the account. Offer ends March 1, 2021. We've turned home security on its head. Monitor, secure and control right from your phone. With live video, you can answer the door and accept packages for contactless convenience. Know your doors are locked and your home is secure. Forget to lock the door? Don't worry, you can lock your door right from your phone and even get notifications to remind you. Keep you and your home feeling cozy. The smart thermostat saves energy and money by automatically adjusting your household's needs throughout the day. Mighty security at a friendlier price. When you sign up today, you'll get up to $1,300 of the latest smart technology, on us.* When Mike Morning- star held his first 'brea- kathon' in 1990, he was in the centre court of Oakville Place where he had an au- dience of curious onlook- ers to encourage him. "This is awesome. I'm going to drag this out for as long as I can," the owner of Morningstar Taekwon-Do thought. "And then about four or five hours in, it was, 'Let's get this over with.' My body was starting to seize up." Morningstar learned a valuable lesson, but it also showed him one way he could give back to the com- munity. He has since done six breakathons -- using only his hands and feet to break thousands of boards. Com- bined with demonstrations he's put on at his Oakville martial arts studio, he's raised more than $60,000 for various causes. He is looking to add to that total on Feb. 27, as he sets out to break 2,000 boards over the course of four hours to raise money for ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids), which offers child and youth mental health programs and services. Why did you de- cide to raise mon- ey for ROCK this year? I teach a lot of kids, they're probably 70 per cent of my stu- dents. I had parents telling me their kids were anxious and stressed be- cause of everything going on with COVID. When we were able to hold classes in the summer, some didn't want to come back, so I did private lessons. A couple of parents mentioned ROCK and how it was helping their kids. Q: Why did you decide to do a fundraiser during COVID? A: That barbecue res- taurant in Etobicoke (the owner was charged with various offences after defy- ing COVID-19 lockdown or- ders) ... he raised $200,000 for his legal expenses (the owner has generated con- troversy for raising $300,000-plus for his de- fence fund through Go- FundMe). I thought, how much could you raise if you were actually doing some- thing good, that would help people? I went to Tamarack Lumber and asked about getting boards. They said, 'Of course.' So then I was committed. The communi- ty has been really helpful. Q: How will COVID af- fect the breakathon? A: I usually have a group of helpers to move and hold boards. This year I'm going to have machines that automatically loads (and holds) boards. I'll have six of those around me, un- less we can go back to 10 people indoors before then. Q: Breaking 2,000 boards must take a bit of a toll. A: It's repetitive, bone on wood. I try to use differ- ent parts of my hands and my feet to spread it out, but the Sunday (the day after) is always a difficult day to walk around the house. For more information, or to donate, go to www.breakathon.ca. A FUNDRAISING BREAK-THROUGH HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com COMMUNITY MARTIAL ARTIST TAKES ON ANOTHER BOARD-BREAKING CHALLENGE IN SUPPORT OF YOUTH GROUP Mike Morningstar will be attempting to break 2,000 boards to raise money for ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids). Morningstar Taekwon-Do photo