(Editor's note: Our continuing series that looks at Oakland Local's picks for people/organizations to watch in 2011. See all profiles in this series.)

The daughter of a San Francisco Unified schoolteacher, Kate Hobbs has always been interested in education.

When she came to Oakland in 1978 from San Francisco, she began to study martial arts under the leadership of Professor Colleen Gragen. At the same time as she was studying Kung Fu, she also was working with a children's program called "Hand to Hand" founded by Gragen. This work inspired Hobbs to start Destiny Arts Center.

"There are two things that I think are sometimes really lacking for children - two areas," Hobbs says. "One, sometimes children don't know how to make the right effort - the tools to be successful. And two, in my time from my 20's to the present - there has been an erosion of physical activity for kids. So my work is to inspire them to make a great effort and to be healthy."

Over the next 15 years at Destiny Arts, Hobbs developed curriculum, classes and a community that used martial arts as a foundation for youth development. This included creating a "Warriors Code" based on traditional martial arts that would help children to feel powerful and peaceful in their lives. Anthony Daniels and Sarah Crowell were co-creators who helped to expand Destiny's programs to incorporate performing arts.

"We built this thing and just created a set of teaching tools for creating a better world through dance, theater and martial arts and creating a community for children," Hobbs says. "I became really interested in public schools and I wanted to dive into them more intensely so I took a job at Sports for Kids and left Destiny Arts."

Sports for Kids (now known as Playworks) focuses mainly on after school and recess games and sports. As the organization grew and eventually went national, Hobbs was instrumental in setting up the training model used to prepare new coaches. She also piloted some violence prevention curriculum.

Recently, Hobbs has returned to the field of martial arts education.

"At my church, I noticed that they had a lot of empty space and a lot of kids. So I started to get a bee in my bonnet about teaching kung fu again," she says. "So that's the vision that I'm hatching now. We're going into five years at the church and the rec center across the street. The focus is building strong community. Safety. Health. Respect. Creativity."

In just five years, Oakland Kajukenbo has grown from 12 students to more than 150. Fees are on a sliding scale. Hobbs and the two other Sifu (instructors), Lynn Keslar and Sam Mende-Wong, also provide homework assistance. Through a special partnership with the Sierra Club, the children go on nature hikes.

"When you go through martial arts, you are pushed, once a year to the edge of your mental and physical capacity. I get to watch people go all the way to the black belt. To show the fire of what they're made of. It's beautiful to see them go from 7 to 17 and get their black belt and sweat and grit and break board. They're trying something and pushing and going further than they've ever gone and you get to see it - and the smiles afterwards."

The program is in the same North Oakland neighborhood Hobbs came to more than 30 years ago.

"I like Oakland because it's a rugged, self-determining place," she says. "I have respect for the city. We just keep plugging away. I think it's a beautiful city.

"I like my strip, I like my area," Hobbs continues. "The character of the city to me is creative and rugged. This is my turf and where I love to be."

Read more profiles in our 11 for 11 series.