Aurora dojo faces closure as grant funding ends

AURORA, Colo. — A longstanding dojo in Aurora is at risk of closing its doors as its grant funding from the Aurora Community Connection Family Resource Center is set to expire at the end of the year. 

The loss of funding threatens not only the future of Resilient Martial Arts, but also the stability it provides for the 37 at-risk students who rely on the dojo’s programs for discipline, confidence, and community.

For Sensei James Walker, founder of Resilient Martial Arts, the dojo is more than just a business. 

“Karate is not something I do. Karate is who I am,” he said. 

Since he opened the dojo in 1998, Sensei Walker has dedicated himself to helping low-income and at-risk children find a safe space to learn and grow. 

“An average person gets to touch and influence 10 people throughout their lifetime in a positive way,” Walker reflected. “A sensei has the responsibility and the privilege of influencing over 100,000 people throughout their life.”

The dojo’s mission has always been deeply personal for Walker, who experienced instability in his own youth. 

“Before my teenage years, I was in and out of foster homes and things like that,” he shared. “It’s a personal thing when I see these kids going through these same battles. I want to share with them a gift that was given to me, which is karate.”

For the past three years, funding from the Aurora Community Connection has enabled Resilient Martial Arts to keep its doors open, covering approximately half of the tuition costs for students. Sensei Walker has shouldered the rest, making sure that families in need wouldn’t be turned away. 

“We currently have 37 students enrolled in that program. We scholarship about 50% of the tuition for each one of those students, and Aurora Community Connection takes care of the rest of that tuition,” Walker explained. 

But with the grant ending soon, those students — and the dojo’s mission — are at risk.

One of these students is 9-year-old Richie Turrubiates, who has been attending classes twice a week for the past year. His mother, Mayra, says the impact has been transformative. 

“He used to be really fidgety and really shy in school, and now this has helped him a lot, losing that lack of confidence he needed,” said Maya Turrubiates.

Sensei Walker is doing everything he can to prevent the dojo’s closure. 

“Without this funding and this resource, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he admitted. He’s even willing to go to extreme lengths to raise funds. “If we can’t do this, I’ll get a cardboard sign and stand on the corners. I’ll go door-to-door asking for donations for this program,” Walker vowed. “I’ve got to be an example to these kids, to show them that you only fail when you quit trying.”

Aurora Community Connection has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding their decision to cut the dojo’s funding. Meanwhile, Walker is reaching out to the community through a GoFundMe in hopes of securing the resources needed to keep Resilient Martial Arts open.