Our Beginning

In 2017 the Kendo@KIPP program began at The KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in Camden, NJ. This program provides free training in the very exclusive martial art of Kendo to KIPP’s young Lanning Square Middle School students. This program had been heralded in publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer (It's Called the 'Golf of Martial Arts’: https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/its-called-the-golf-of-martial-arts-but-this-camden-school-is-making-kumdo-more-inclusive-20180331.html).

The first year of the program was a great success and was subsequently expanded at the request of the KIPP Academy to include primary students. It was soon identified that graduating KIPP Lanning Square Middle School scholars would no longer have the ability to train in Kumdo under the Kendo@KIPP program. It was also identified that in order to provide the fullest Kendo training experience to Kendo@KIPP students, said students would need to train at greater frequencies and at the SYK Sword Academy. This led to the genesis of this Not For Profit—Enter The Johnsons. Enter The Johnsons (ETJ) raises funds to financially sponsor Kendo training for Kendo@KIPP Program students and alumni. Eventually, ETJ provided other historically challenged youth in the Delaware Valley Region, primarily of The City of Camden, that are not Kendo@KIPP Program alumni, the funding and support to train in some type of quality martial art. ETJ will continue the important work that was started.

Our Vision

To be an effective Martial Art benefactor by providing quality Martial Arts training for youth that are historically challenged by ethnicity, financial means and demography within the Delaware Valley Region and beyond.

Get Involved

ETJ has partnered with Mightycause to provided funding for this unique initiative. Please help us. Learn More →