About The LADY Program

The LADY Program is a nonprofit organization developed to provide girls and women a way to learn to protect themselves regardless of age or physical constraints. Women typically believe that to defend themselves they have to learn advanced physical or special skills such as martial arts or boxing. The LADY Program proves that this is not the case. All women can defend themselves if they know how.

Naming the program was an important aspect of marketing it. The program name needed to indicate its focus on females of all ages and self-defense while leaving the option open to expand and evolve into other markets.  Playing with acronyms, the name “The LADY Program” (or The Learn About Defending Yourself Program) was born.

The LADY Program became a Limited Liability Corporation in 2004 and classes were structured and marketed.  In 2006, The LADY Program was reformulated as a branch of a not-for-profit organization called MASD (Martial Arts & Self-Defense Association, Inc.) which included providing scholarships to boys and girls for self-defense and martial arts classes throughout the community. Instructors Scott Willoughby and Aubrey Adrianson joined the program and, along with a board of directors, helped to ensure that The LADY Program would continue to evolve and grow reaching a greater part of the community.

In 2009, with resources in tight supply, MASD narrowed its focus back to only The LADY Program and women’s self-defense.

Today The LADY Program uses several volunteers and touches hundreds of girls and women in Southwest Michigan.

The LADY Program
P.O. Box 2292
Portage, MI 49081

269.327.2252