CKO and JAR of Hope

Joseph Andreula, founder of the country-wide cardio-kickboxing franchise, CKO Kickboxing, learned about Duchenne muscular dystrophy after being introduced to JAR of Hope founder Jim Raffone. The most impacting connection for Joe was Jim's son, Jamesy, who was diagnosed with the terminal illness Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Joe had spent his entire adult life trying to help people get into the best shape of their lives but felt that he needed to find a way to help the kids who suffer through this muscle-wasting disease with no cure. Like so many, Joe had never heard of Duchenne but quickly started supporting JAR of Hope by enlisting his franchisees to run fundraiser marathons and hosting CKO Punch-A-Thons.

The Birth of the first CKO Marathon

As CKO Kickboxing's collaboration with JAR of Hope grew, different CKO locations wanted to do more. This prompted Mike Sclafani, the original CKO Franchisee who introduced Joe to JAR of Hope, and Jim to figure out different ways to fundraise within the brand. After outreach from Jeff Throshan, a CKO instructor, a new idea was born.

Jeff's quote inspired the idea, "I can't run marathons, but I can box." His proposal of twenty-six three-minute rounds mimicking a boxing match paved the way for the first location-specific CKO Marathon held at Mike's CKO location in Freehold, New Jersey.

How I'm Helping

CKO Kickboxing has called on its Franchisees and Instructors to help the cause! On May 6th, 2023, I will be at CKO Hoboken with my fellow CKO Family, participating in the first franchise-wide CKO Kickboxing Marathon for JAR of Hope. I'm pledging to raise as much as I can to strike that bag and help JAR of Hope's mission to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

I will be there with CKO Kickboxing supporting JAR of Hope so we can all make a difference, together.

Your donation, of any amount, helps me get closer to my goal of helping these kids facing this terminal illness. Thank you for your support and for sharing this link with everyone.