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August 7, 2007
National Night Out, Coffield Community Center, Silver Spring, and
Bladensburg's National Night Out, Bladensburg, Maryland
Dr. Clifford Thomas was a special guest at one of the Silver Spring (Montgomery County) National Nights Out.
He underscored his commitment to the betterment of our local communities by demonstrating simple self-defense
techniques and offering potentially life-saving tips to encourage citizens to be proactive should they be
attacked by those intending to harm them. The large, enthusiastic crowd was reluctant to let him leave
the stage in the main activity room of the Coffield Community Center. After the demonstration, Dr. Thomas was
surprised and honored by Ms. Patricia Tyson, the program coordinator, who presented him with a special acknowledgment
to mark the importance of his tireless community work. He was thanked for making "this an enjoyable evening to celebrate the absence of crime and the simple rules of safety for our
protection and well being." He was also a guest at Bladensburg's National Night Out.
For the press coverage of Silver Spring's National Nights Out, go to
Montgomery County Gazette, August 15, 2007
Click on this link for the full report of Bladensburg's 2007 National Night Out
March 2, 2007
From The Senior Beacon Newspaper
Volunteers & Careers
"Instructing All Ages in Self Defense and More"
by Daniel Groner
For Dr. Clifford Thomas, martial arts teaches not just self defense, but a way of life.
Thomas, 52, has studied both judo and tae kwon do since an early age, garnering awards,
recognition and even black belt status. But his greatest honor, he says, stems from
working with others -- from schoolchildren to seniors -- to show them how martial arts
can improve their lives.
For the rest of the story, copy and paste the following web address:
http://es1.tecnavia.com/ee/seniorb/default.php (story on pp. 58 and 60).
For the home page of The Senior Beacon, copy and paste the following web address:
http://www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/about.php.
August 5, 2006
From East of the River Magazine
Meet Your Neighbor: Dr. Clifford Thomas
"Pied Piper of Martial Arts Keeps Giving Back"
by Michelle Phipps-Evans
When it comes to giving back to the community, Dr. Clifford Thomas is extraordinary.
Despite his high profile and stellar accomplishments, the 52-year-old black belt martial
artist has been active in the community using his skills to teach everyone, old and
young. He has found a unique way of combining the various martial arts that he teaches
to young people and seniors with skills that come in handy every day. He does not just
offer pure self-defense classes, but he relates them to other facets of one’s life.
For the rest of the story, access the pdf file.
May 18, 2006
From Port Towns Gazette
"Martial Arts Teacher Offers His Best to Community"
by Jeffrey K. Lyles,
Staff Writer
Whether it’s thrusting a punch in self-defense or providing alternatives to violence for
area youth, Clifford Thomas understands the importance of giving back. Thomas spends
most of his time teaching self-defense classes at the Bladensburg and the West Lanham
community centers. ‘‘I’ve probably been there for about 15 years,” Thomas said. ‘‘I’m
just doing the thing I love doing. I love working with the kids and trying to make a
difference in the community.”
Read the full story here
April 20, 2006
From Port Towns Gazette
Excerpted from "Campaign Trail Leads to Bladensburg’s Home for Seniors"
by Jeffrey K. Lyles,
Staff Writer
Bladensburg's Emerson House senior residents had a demonstration from Dr. Clifford Thomas
as part of Bladensburg Mayor Walter James' monthly breakfast. The breakfast was also
attended by Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, Del. Victor Ramirez (D-Dist.47),
and Jolene Ivy, candidate for one of the four District-47 delegate seats. Dr. Thomas
spoke to the seniors about his ‘‘Saving the Seniors” street smarts program and
demonstrated how seniors could use items they regularly keep on them, such as a cane
or walker, to better protect themselves while out in the community. ‘‘Another way to
keep our neighborhood safe is for you to be able to care of yourselves,” Thomas said.
‘‘I want to bring my talents to you.” Mayor James commended Dr. Thomas
for his work with the seniors, citing the program as another example of the town’s
proactive approach to improving the community.
September 25, 2004
D.C. Residents Offered Services, Awareness and a Live Concert
By Nancee Lyons, Washington Informer Contributing Writer
The District hosted its second “Bet You Didn’t Know” Information Fair Saturday,
September 25, 2004. The block party-styled event offered some 300 residents free health
and dental screenings, information and giveaways from a variety of government, private and
faith-based organizations. Residents also had a chance to enter a raffle to win a free
color TV set or a backpack filled with school supplies.
“We’re bringing our business to you to serve you better,” said Yvonne Gilchrist,
Director of the Department of Human Services (DHS), the lead agency for this event. Gilchrist joined
Neil Albert, the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders as well as other
agency heads within the DC Government Human Services Cluster at the event. “We know
that connecting residents to the services and information you need will make a positive
impact on our community.”
Recording artist Sugar Bear and his Go-Go band “EU” performed a live concert for the crowd, which
rocked to the sound of the homegrown rhythm.
Children and adults were exposed to a variety of workshops and demonstrations. A major attraction was
the Tae Kwon Doe Ramblers, a 34-year old martial arts youth group headed by Dr. Cliff
Thomas. The Ramblers is a holistic program that teaches D.C. youth the art of
self-defense, as well as discipline, safety, self-esteem and more.
Photo by Roy Lewis
“Everybody thinks martial arts is violent but it’s not,” said Dr. Thomas, a black belt with
martial arts PhD degrees from Oxford University, the University of Pennsylvania and the
University of Michigan. Thomas coached a team that went onto win an Olympic medal in 1989.
“We teach children how to protect themselves but we also teach anger management, peer
pressure and child safety to make them aware of molestation and kidnapping.”
Dr. Thomas holds his program at the Kenilworth Recreation Center in Southeast, an area of D.C. that for
years has been riddled with violence and drugs. He wanted the program to be a positive
force in the community and didn’t back down when drug dealers tried to run the
program out of the community, he said. In fact, soon, they were enrolling their children
into his program. In 2002, Thomas was honored by a presidential award, which was announced
by a personal telephone call from President George and Laura Bush.
Community information fairs have become a critical and widely used vehicle in the District as
sometimes they are only way to get information and services out to the communities that
need them most.
“We recognize that some of the most vulnerable population falls within our agency but many are
not taking advantage of services they are qualified for because they feel
disenfranchised,” said Rufus Mayfield, coordinator of the DHS Community Outreach
Division, which heads up the coordination of the fairs.
The first information fair, held at Edgewood Terrace in Northeast attracted more than 800 people,
although Mayfield noted that he was hoping to see more than 1,000. The Benning Terrace
fair was expected to draw a smaller crowd, made all the smaller because the event competed
against the WKYS “Back to School Jam” held in nearby PG County. He hopes to have
an impressive turnout for the remaining affairs and was able to get the D.C. Department of
Transportation to offer free baby car seats to eligible residents who attend the fairs.
“When you talk to residents you can see a great hope in some,” said Mayfield who said the
fairs’ greatest accomplishment has been the ability to bring so many agencies under
one umbrella. “Many of the residents are glad to see us here paying some specialized
attention to them. But then you can see the despair and hopelessness in others.”
The final fair will be held on October 16th at the Marie Reed Learning Center (2200 Champlain
Street, NW) from 10am-3pm.
The Human Services Cluster agencies include the Department of Human Services, the D.C. Public
Library, the Child and Family Services agency, the Department of Health, the Department of
Mental Health, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Office on Human Rights, and the
Office on Aging.
Scores of businesses and community groups also participated in the event including Chartered Health
Plan, Inc., Healthy Babies, the Community Preservation and Development Corporation,
Benning Terrace Resident Council, East of the River Clergy, Amerigroup, The Alliance of
Concerned Men and the US Attorney’s Office.
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