U.S. Martial Arts Academy, Ltd. is involved in the community. The students and staff engage in various charitable efforts throughout the year. For over 19 years, we have provided winter holiday gifts for the residents of Villa Maria, a group home for children. For the past few years, the “ticket price” of our black sash tests has been canned and dry goods which were donated to the Maryland Food Bank. We have collected new and gently used books, coats, and other items for various charities.
On October 17, 2010, we hosted a blood drive for the American Red Cross. While many of these activities are part of our regular charitable efforts, some of the activities are coordinated with an interested student of U. S. Martial Arts Academy, Ltd. and the entire school supports the effort and participates. One of our students coordinated the blood drive as part of his activities in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
We have collected donations for the Emily Kerstetter Fund, administered by the Columbia Bank in Lutherville, Maryland. Emily (a God-daughter of one of our USMAA families) was in Uganda on a mission trip with her church group and was one of the survivors of a terrorist bombing. Emily has had numerous surgeries in South Africa and now at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, here, in Baltimore.