Support My Birthday Fundraiser for AKI USA

Every year for my birthday, I invite friends, students, and supporters to help sustain something that has shaped my life for decades: Aikido Kenkyukai International USA.

If you’ve trained with me, attended one of my seminars, practiced at one of our dojos, or simply appreciate what Aikido has brought into your life, I hope you’ll consider being part of this year’s fundraiser.

For my birthday this year, I’m hoping that 50 people will contribute to support our dojo community.

Whether you donate $5, $50, $100, or more, every contribution helps.

To contribute, please use the red Donate button on this page.

Why Your Support Matters

Since returning to the United States in 1996, I have worked to build and support Aikido communities through teaching, seminars, and dojo leadership.

Today AKI USA supports dojo communities in Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, and Princeton, New Jersey through shared training, instruction, and lineage.

Our mission is to share traditional Aikido as a path of discipline, resilience, and personal development — while making training accessible to people from many backgrounds.

Scholarships and Accessibility

Thanks to supporters like you, we have provided nearly $50,000 in scholarships over the years.

These scholarships have helped make Aikido training available to low-income youth, veterans with PTSD, and people who otherwise could not afford martial arts training.

Your donation helps ensure that financial hardship does not become a barrier to training.

A Dedicated Training Space

For many years our dojo operated as a “portable dojo,” rolling out mats in shared spaces.

Now having regular access to a training space that we can make our own has been a big step forward for our dojo community. At the same time, it does come with increased rent and ongoing costs.

Your support helps us sustain this home for practice.

Recovering from the Flood

Last year our dojo experienced a serious setback when a flood damaged many of our tatami mats.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to replace the damaged mats and continue training.

Now that the mats have been replaced, we are once again able to move forward with important dojo upgrades and improvements.

International Training and Cultural Exchange

Maintaining strong connections with the roots of Aikido is an important part of our mission.

I travel regularly to Japan to train with senior teachers and maintain the integrity of what we teach.

Whenever possible, I also bring dojo members with me so they can experience intensive training, Japanese culture, and the international Aikido community. These experiences can be life-changing, especially for younger practitioners.

Every Contribution Helps

Your support helps sustain the dojo and the work we do in the community.

• $25 helps support scholarships for students who otherwise could not train.
• $50 helps maintain the dojo space and training equipment.
• $100 helps sustain seminars, youth training, and outreach programs.
• $250+ helps support larger improvements to the dojo and long-term community programs.

Truly, any amount helps sustain the dojo and the work we do together.

This fundraiser runs for a limited time around my birthday, so your support now truly makes a difference.

If you would like to support this work, please use the red Donate button on this page.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Lia Suzuki
Head Instructor / Executive Director
Aikido Kenkyukai International USA