Over $1,400 was raised at a fundraising dinner Monday evening in Morden to raise money for several athletes heading to the Jr. Summer Games qualifiers in Hammamet, Tunisia.

Diane Guilford was the event organizer and said she was at Nationals where her grandson, Ethan McClymont is attempting to qualify for the Jr. Summer Games and will be competing at the Jr. Worlds.

"It's certainly very humbling to have people come out and support us like this," said McClymont.

Tae Ku Park, who will be competing at the Jr. Summer Games qualifiers and Jr. Worlds, said their goal is to one day compete at the national level at the summer games, adding this is just a step toward achieving that goal.

Jeff Giesbrecht, who is the head instructor for Premiere Tae Kwon Do in Morden said seeing these Winnipeg competitors with ties to the local area make this step in their journey to the Summer Games is a great inspiration to the younger generation.

He explained his students witnessed where the sport can take them and how hard work will pay off. He added the Tae Kwon Do family is a close-knit one and the Morden group often heads to Winnipeg for competitions against many different groups from across Manitoba.

"It's always good to see how far they can go and if they really want to push themselves they can get as high as they want," said Giesbrecht.