Hoboken Sensei Remembers Daughter Through Karate Program

For Sensei Ray Rodriguez, running a karate program in the Hoboken Housing Authority is not just a way to teach children about martial arts. 

It is also a way to keep the memory of his late daughter alive. 

Hope Rodriguez died on Aug. 21, 2009, due to type 1 diabetes, Rodriguez said. 

"I have been teaching Karate to the wonderful children of The Hoboken Housing Authority, they all have been filling a hole that I've had in my heart since the death of my 13 year old daughter," said Rodriguez, who is also the founder of Jin-Che-Fway Karate. 

On June 30, Rodriguez and his students put on an anti-bullying and anti-drug martial arts show. Rodriguez raised $1,000, he said, which was donted to the American Diabetes Association in Hope's name. 

By donating the money, Rodriguez said, he hopes that he will have a lasting influence on finding a cure for diabetes 1. 

"I hope that in my life time a cure is found and my students and I had something to do with it," Rodriguez said.