ETJ
About Us
Our Story
In 2017 the Kumdo @ KIPP program began at The KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in Camden, NJ. This program provides free training in the very exclusive martial art of Kumdo (more commonly known as Kendo) to KIP's young Lanning Square Middle School students. This program had been heralded in publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer.
See article here: It's Called the Golf of Martial Arts
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 Kumdo @ KIPP program. It was also identified that in order to provide the fullest Kumdo training experience to Kumdo @ KIPP students, said students would need to train at greater frequencies and at the SYK Sword Academy of Cherry Hill, NJ.
This led to the genesis of this Not For Profit—Enter The Johnsons. Enter The Johnsons (ETJ) raises funds to financially sponsor Kumdo training for Kumdo @ KIPP Program students and alumni. Eventually, ETJ will provide other historically challenged youth in the Delaware Valley Region, primarily of The City of Camden, that are not Kumdo @ 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 Team
Chris T. Johnson
Founder
Christopher Thomas Johnson (CJ) was born in Brooklyn, NY to Pastor Thomas and Barbara Johnson. He was raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey.
CJ received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University, Hampton VA in 1992. Upon graduating from Hampton University, CJ was commissioned into the United States Navy as a Deep Sea Diver and Salvage Officer. Among numerous Naval Diving Operations, CJ was a Navy Deep Sea Diver for the TWA FLIGHT 800 CRASH RECOVERY; OPERATION RESTORE DIGNITY – the 1997 Haitian Ferry Recovery; and the famed Civil War Ship - USS MONITOR SALVAGE OPERATION.
CJ received a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Fels Center of Government in 2002 and was awarded the Fels Leadership Award. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander in September of 2002 after serving as the Executive Officer of Naval Reserve Center, Fort Dix. In the private sector, CJ was the Director of Government Affairs & Contracts for MAR-VEL International, Inc. from 2002-2009. There he was responsible for numerous multimillion-dollar contracts and programs.
In 2013, he earned his Master of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary. He was the Pastoral Minister for Covenant House Atlantic City (South Jersey) from 2013-2015. Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless and runaway youth.
CJ has earned his 2nd Degree Black Belt in Traditional Okinawan GOJU RYU Karate (while in Okinawa, Japan), a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a 1st Degree Black Belt in Kumdo. CJ, his wonderful wife and children are members of Grace Temple Baptist Church of Lawnside, New Jersey where he is an ordained minister.
Obadiah Schottenfeld
Vice President
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Abraham Summers
Treasurer
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