Leaping into 2026!

Aikido of Champlain Valley has been awarded a grant to create a comprehensive Strategic and Financial Plan during the next year that will provide guidance for our organization far into the future. The Vermont Community Foundation has awarded ACV funding from the Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant program. To do great work as a nonprofit, we need clear plans for strategic and financial sustainability, as well as capacity building training for our Board members. 

And we still need your help! 

High-level planning takes time and resources, which is a challenge for us as a small  nonprofit on a limited budget. Our grant award may not fully cover the costs of the consultants who will help with this long-term planning and provide Board training. We also have our essential Youth Scholarships to fund, and the additional challenge of striving to keep practice fees as low as we possibly can while operational costs continue to rise. 

Our mission is to grow a sustainable community and peaceable world through the practice of Aikido. This can take on many forms, from an afterschool program for kids to an adult workshop introducing aikido concepts as a metaphor for creative conflict resolution. Your contribution will support our 28 year tradition of providing youth at risk the opportunity to discover this wonderful art. We are especially proud of our support for the children of 1st American and refugee families. We intend to build on our existing programs and expand outreach into the broader community through collaboration with other nonprofits doing similar work. We want to continue to offer classes six days a week in our beautiful facility for years to come.

Please consider ACV in your gift giving this year. Your tax-exempt donation can help keep our doors open to all who want to practice aikido and will create more harmony in a changing world.

Sincerely,

Aikido of Champlain Valley Board of Directors

President, Ruairi Hutchison 

Executive Director and Dojo-cho, Benjamin Pincus