Trying to start a Judo club but my shodan cant be recognized

I trained Judo as a child in Hawaii and then once again as a young adult in Louisville Kentucky earning my Shodan rank in each adventure

I then got into mixed martial arts and began coaching High School wrestling

Here I am some 20 + years since my last Judo rank and some of my training partners are expressing interest in Judo competition... I have a small training facility in the poverty-stricken flood-ravaged area of Pender county North Carolina where I have recently relocated for a promotion in my Public Safety career

I knew getting involved with Judo was more complicated than wrestling but I decided to give it a go and see if I couldn't get us recognized as a legitimate Judo Club under USA judo so my athletes would have an opportunity to develop their Judo skills in competition

Unfortunately my sensei are long passed on and their clubs Long closed down

Any advice would be great!

If your sensei just gave you a black belt and didn't register it, you'd be in the same boat whether they were here or not. Hopefully it was registered with one of the 3 national organizations. Did you ever receive a certificate? You could contact them to see if it was registered.

USA judo told me i was never registered with the usjf via their search (my coach's org)

I have photos and witnesses but no paper

I think my coach was a rebel

I'm just trying to bring a judo Club to a small impoverished Carolina town