- C
- B
- J
*UPDATE*
The goal has been lowered due to an unexpected (possibly miraculous) turn of events!!! Read the latest update for details.
Do you like the idea of helping a war veteran make his dream retirement a reality? If you do, then please help me make a retired Sgt Major's dream of owning his own Japanese sword dojo come true!
David Drawdy is Army war veteran, who even after retiring from 25 years of active duty, continued to serve his country as an Army civilian, where his continues his efforts to keep our country safe. Dave served in Berlin, behind the Berlin Wall, before the unification of Germany and more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. He currently works for the Army in the intelligence community.
Dave's dream is that, when he retires for good, he would like to live in a place where he could continue to teach Japanese sword arts from home in his own dojo and we found the perfect place to make that dream a reality. But yesterday we were told that we only have 5 days to either sell our current home or come up with a ridiculously huge down payment or he will lose the contract on the property. I don't know if you've ever tried to sell a house, but 5 days is really not enough time. That's why I'm asking for your help. I really don't want to see Dave miss this great opportunity.

If you are hesitant about helping out, maybe you should know a little more about the person you are being asked to help. Drawdy Sensei, as he is known by his students, begain his training in Nakamura Ryu Batto Do while stationed in Japan 20 years ago. He even trained with the actual founder of the art. He has since acheived the rank of Roku-dan Renshi (equivalent to 6th degree black belt plus teaching certification) and currently teaches in his spare time at the Capitol Area Budokai in Alexandria, VA (a non-profit organization).

His group, the Northern Virginia Kenkonkai, has kept close ties with the Japanese home dojo and his students regularly take medals in international competitions. Over the years he has even helped to spread Nakamura Ryu outside of Japan, helping to found study groups in places as far flung as Alaska and South Africa. Any one of his students can tell you what an amazing teacher Dave is and even I was his student and biggest fan, long before I was his wife.
I know it's a lot of money to try to raise in just a few days, but I wasn't willing to let Dave give up without trying everything we could to make this happen. Any amount of money would help. If we don't raise enough money in time to save the contract on this property, the money will remain in an account until we find another property that could make Dave's dream come true. The money would ONLY be used for the purpose of securing a property where Dave could teach sword.
When Dave finally gets his dojo, it would be open for visiting teachers of other related arts and anyone who contributes is welcome to visit and have free swords lessons! Of course I will keep you updated on any new developments along the way.
*UPDATE* Photos of the potential dojo space can be found in the updates.
Thank you so much for considering helping out!
The goal has been lowered due to an unexpected (possibly miraculous) turn of events!!! Read the latest update for details.
Do you like the idea of helping a war veteran make his dream retirement a reality? If you do, then please help me make a retired Sgt Major's dream of owning his own Japanese sword dojo come true!
David Drawdy is Army war veteran, who even after retiring from 25 years of active duty, continued to serve his country as an Army civilian, where his continues his efforts to keep our country safe. Dave served in Berlin, behind the Berlin Wall, before the unification of Germany and more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. He currently works for the Army in the intelligence community.
Dave's dream is that, when he retires for good, he would like to live in a place where he could continue to teach Japanese sword arts from home in his own dojo and we found the perfect place to make that dream a reality. But yesterday we were told that we only have 5 days to either sell our current home or come up with a ridiculously huge down payment or he will lose the contract on the property. I don't know if you've ever tried to sell a house, but 5 days is really not enough time. That's why I'm asking for your help. I really don't want to see Dave miss this great opportunity.
If you are hesitant about helping out, maybe you should know a little more about the person you are being asked to help. Drawdy Sensei, as he is known by his students, begain his training in Nakamura Ryu Batto Do while stationed in Japan 20 years ago. He even trained with the actual founder of the art. He has since acheived the rank of Roku-dan Renshi (equivalent to 6th degree black belt plus teaching certification) and currently teaches in his spare time at the Capitol Area Budokai in Alexandria, VA (a non-profit organization).
His group, the Northern Virginia Kenkonkai, has kept close ties with the Japanese home dojo and his students regularly take medals in international competitions. Over the years he has even helped to spread Nakamura Ryu outside of Japan, helping to found study groups in places as far flung as Alaska and South Africa. Any one of his students can tell you what an amazing teacher Dave is and even I was his student and biggest fan, long before I was his wife.
I know it's a lot of money to try to raise in just a few days, but I wasn't willing to let Dave give up without trying everything we could to make this happen. Any amount of money would help. If we don't raise enough money in time to save the contract on this property, the money will remain in an account until we find another property that could make Dave's dream come true. The money would ONLY be used for the purpose of securing a property where Dave could teach sword.
When Dave finally gets his dojo, it would be open for visiting teachers of other related arts and anyone who contributes is welcome to visit and have free swords lessons! Of course I will keep you updated on any new developments along the way.
*UPDATE* Photos of the potential dojo space can be found in the updates.
Thank you so much for considering helping out!