Tuesday 21 November 2017

Setting up a Tap Cancer Out fundraising page

For 2018, the Artemis BJJ GrappleThon will be in support of Tap Cancer Out. It begins at 14:00 on World Cancer Day, Saturday 3rd February 2018, running through to 14:00 on the Sunday. The process of setting up a fundraising page on the Tap Cancer Out platform (powered by classy.org) is simple:

1. Select 'Become a Fundraiser'

2. Set your target (it defaults to dollars, so you change to GBP for £s if you like)

3. Log in with either Facebook or set up an account (you'll need an email address, then create a password)


4. Choose your profile pic








And that's it! You can further customise your page after that, which I'd recommend, but your page is ready to go after just four steps. The main thing I'd suggest modifying if the story, providing more details about the event. If you'd like an example, this is what I wrote on my page:

On World Cancer Day 2018 (4th February 2018), Artemis BJJ will be hosting another 24hr GrappleThon at MYGYM Bristol. We'll be rolling continuously from 14:00 on Saturday 3rd February through to 14:00 on the Sunday, raising funds for the good people at Tap Cancer Out. All the info you need is on our website:

http://www.ArtemisBJJ.com/GrappleThon2018/

Come and join us! Everybody is welcome, from complete beginners to seasoned veterans. :)

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Using MyDonate For Your BJJ Charity Event

If possible, I generally use JustGiving for GrappleThons. However, sometimes the charity I want to support is smaller, so goes for a free fundraising platform instead. From my experience, MyDonate is the best of the free platforms. That's run by the large UK company, BT. It has a few advantages over JustGiving, the main one being that they don't charge charities a fee to use their service (unlike JustGiving, which charges £15 per month). The downside is that MyDonate's interface is a bit more clunky and setting up a page is rather more fiddly too. However, the advantage of not costing the charity anything is considerable, so that's worth some hassle. :)

Here are the steps to set up your fundraising page on MyDonate, using the 2017 Artemis BJJ GrappleThon for SARSAS as an example (click on the pictures for a larger image):

1. Sign up to MyDonate

2. Click on 'Start Fundraising' at the top. Alternatively go to 'my account', then click on 'Create fundraising page' in the left hand menu.

3. Select 'Create my challenge'

4. Type 'SARSAS' in the 'search for a charity' box

5. Select 'SARSAS' from the list that pops up, then click through.

6. Select 'Other' from the list of fundraising challenges, then put in something like 'grappling' or 'GrappleThon'


7. If you want to add the address, select 'Yes' on whether or not the challenge is taking place at a specific location (handily, this creates a map on your fundraising page), then enter:

MYGYM
Unit 4B, Dean Street
Bristol
United Kingdom
BS2 8SF

8. The next part is important, as this determines how long your page stays open. Put in the date as starting 15-04-2017 from 14:00 through to 16-04-2017 at 14:00.

9. You can pick however long you want for keeping the page running after the event finishes, ranging from 3 months to 12 months.

10. Pick whatever url you want for the fundraising page (note it has to be all lower case), then be sure to link your page to the Artemis BJJ GrappleThon 2017 team: the reference number is 532098561. When you click 'Validate', the name of the team and owner will appear in green.

11. Select 'No' for the two tick boxes under Gift Aid.

12. In the fundraising story, you can write whatever you think will best inspire people to donate to your page. If you're looking for an example, this is what I put. Note that the 'page title' has to be less than 50 characters.

13. Next, pick an image if you like (there's also the option to link to your Flickr and/or a YouTube video).

14. After that, you can set a target if you want, then you're ready to (finally!) move on to the next page and finish. :)

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Movember Rollathon 2014 Pre-Event Press Release

by Sofie Zambas

November 22nd will mark Gravity Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s 3rd Annual 24hr Movember Rollathon, a fundraiser for Prostate cancer research and bringing awareness to men’s health, beginning at 9am.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common health issues in men today. Many of us have known someone to have prostate issues due to poor diets or lack of the essential fruits and vegetables. With Jiu-Jitsu being a male dominated sport, we wanted to give back to the community by raising awareness to prevent these types of health issues.

The Rollathon, in which at least 2 people will be sparring in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) for 24hrs, will take place at Gravity BJJ in Surrey BC. Like last year, we will start the morning off with a kids cross training class, followed by the adults at 10am. This year we will be scheduling different black belts throughout the day to teach some techniques.

There will be raffle prizes given and a special Moustache Strut Off Competition in the evening at 7pm. Many companies have jumped on board to be sponsors for the event. Our returning sponsors include- Meerkatsu, Oss Gear, Fushida, Gi-Soap, Bacardi, Katana Fightwear, BJJ Depot & Tatami Fightwear. New sponsors to the event are Jiu Jitsu Journals and BC Kimono’s. We are so grateful for the support of these companies!

“This is an event we look forward to every year. We are not only helping out a good cause but we are also bringing the jiu jitsu community together outside of competition,” says organizer Sofie Zambas. “With jiu-jitsu a significantly male dominated sport, it’s important to create awareness on men’s health and prostate issues.”

The event is open to all schools and associations. We encourage moustaches, beards, goatees and any other creative facial ingenious to the event. We will also post a link for a livestream closer to the date.

Even if you’re not a BJJ practitioner, you are welcome to come down to the community event and get to know the friendly people at Gravity BJJ. Anyone who has been affected by prostate issues, directly or otherwise, is welcome to come to the event and support the cause. We would love to hear from you!!

A link to our donation page can be found here:

http://ca.movember.com/team/1525017

As well as our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MovemberRollathon?ref=hl

And our Event Page Details:

http://ca.movember.com/events/view-community-event/id/145049

If you would like further information or would like to learn how you can get involved, please contact Sofie Zambas at sofie@gravitybjj.ca or 604-780-5154.

Quotes from last years’ event:

“Big thanks to Sofie and Logan for hosting the Movember Rollathon. I believe this was the first time two different kids Jiu Jitsu clubs came together to train and all for a terrific cause! Our Apex kids had an awesome time cross training with the Gravity Crew.” Marcy Hilario, Owner at Apex Martial Arts

“Gravity BJJ’s 2nd annual Movember fundraiser is a great event for the local BJJ community. It’s an opportunity for people from the BJJ scene to get together (regardless of team/club) and have an awesome time on the mats all while helping a great cause. I had a great time at the event…Logan and Sofie are great host’s and harbor a really friendly and playful BJJ environment, which is another bonus to an already stellar event!” – Jason Gagnon, Head Coach at Genesis Martial Arts and Fitness

“The Movember Rollathon was a unique experience with open mat rolling, cool BJJ prizes from sponsors, and also a dance off. It was a very lighthearted event where Sofie and Logan were very welcoming to the rest of the BJJ community. With the help of their team, they brought together two families – immediate family and the BJJ community – to support this cause in a more active way than just simply donating money to an account.” – Eric Cheng, BJJ blue belt

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Grapplethon supporting The Raining Season, October 2014 at The Clinch Academy, Frederick, MD, USA

Event Report #9, by Judy Riley, from the Clinch Academy GrappleThon supporting The Raining Season



On Saturday, October 11th, the Clinch Academy in Frederick, MD hosted its first annual Grapplethon fundraising event to support The Raining Season Orphanage in Sierra Leone, Africa. More than 60 grapplers participated from martial arts academies near and far in this 12 hour Brazillian Jiu Jitsu extravaganza .

Participants of all ages and skill levels collected donations through sponsorships and tested themselves for 12 hours of grappling. The event featured black belt instructed seminars by Clinch Academy owner, Luke Rinehart, retired Frederick County Chief of Police, Tom Ledwell, Evolve Academy’s Mike Moses and Clinch Academy’s Adam McWilliams.

“Just being a business owner and to have the opportunity to host such an event as the grapplethon for the orphans in Sierra Leone is a huge blessing. I am thankful that I have the place, space and time to help support The Raining Season in providing for these children. I am also thankful to all my students who are eager to help and to Judy Riley for her initiative and hard work in organizing & putting this event together,” says Luke Rinehart.

Judy Riley, organizer of the event, is a brown belt in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu who trains regularly at the Clinch Academy. Her connection to The Raining Season stems from the adoption of her youngest daughter from Sierra Leone. Ms Riley says, “When I first heard of the idea of a grapplethon, it seemed an ideal way to combine my passion for martial arts with my passion for orphan care. At the time I began planning the event, the goal was to raise money for the purchase of a ‘poda’ (mini-bus) for the Center. But as event planning progressed the Ebola outbreak had become center stage to the news in Sierra Leone. It was clear that the needs of the 102 children and staff had shifted to surviving this crisis. “

On September 1st, The Raining Season implemented a lockdown of the compound to minimize exposure to the Ebola virus. Provisions such as fuel to run generators, rice, water, diapers and cleaning supplies were gathered in a rush of fundraising efforts to last a period of 3 months. The provisions are quickly being diminished. The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending a lockdown of 9 months for which funds have yet to be raised.

Founder of The Raining Season, Erica Stone Rust, explains that the cost of the basic necessities to run the center has skyrocketed due to demand. The financial strain to meet rising costs as well as implement new Ebola safeguards have placed a heavy burden on the orphanage. A quarantine room has been prepared to isolate a child if needed, an additional armed guard has been hired to patrol the gate and a home visiting doctor is being utilized to avoid exposure to the virus at the hospital. These additional expenses are not accounted for in the budget.

“Sometimes problems seem so insurmountable and too big for any one person to make a difference. I think people really do want to help, but often feel their personal contribution won’t make a difference in a crisis that spans several countries,” says Ms Riley. “I wanted my friends and training partners to know that there is an organization they could trust, whose founders I personally know, and that they could directly affect the lives of the 102 children at TRS.”

The Grapplethon provided an opportunity for the BJJ community to make a difference. Grapplers were each given a picture and name of the child they were ‘rolling’ for. They set the timer to 5 minute rounds, turned up the music, and got started. After 12 hours of rolling, they were exhausted, sweaty, empowered and accomplished as they walked away from the event. In total, grapplers, spectators and donors raised over $10,000 for the children of The Raining Season Orphanage.

“I am thrilled with the success of the Grapplethon and am so grateful for the entire Jiu Jitsu community for supporting this event. I would like to thank Luke Rinehart, owner of Clinch Academy for hosting the Grapplethon. Numerous sponsors stepped up, including Century Ford Motor of Mt. Airy, BDR Express, GAC Services, Riley Financial Services, Guru Gi, Downtown Piano Works, Enforme Interactive, Drama Rocks, Dominoes Pizza of New Market and Adventure Park USA. The generosity of these local businesses is a tribute to the good hearted people of Frederick County,” says Ms Riley.

The Raining Season Orphan Care Center continues to struggle for the safety and care of their children during the Ebola crisis. You can help provide needed supplies for the children by donating to www.helpstopebola.com. If you would like to learn more about The Raining Season, visit TheRainingSeason.org.

Updates with news about the Center and the community are published regularly via The Raining Season Blog at SaveTheOrphan.blogspot.com. The Facebook event page for the Clinch Academy Grapplethon (with more pictures etc) can be found here.

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Updates August 2014

The GrappleThon concept continues to grow as 2014 begins to wind down. Since the last event report back in March, the Artemis BJJ GrappleThon supporting Kinergy raised £5,000 in Bristol. There has also been the third iteration of Performance Martial Art's Grapple-A-Thon in Springfield, OR, a 4DA Kids GrappleThon at Centurion BJJ in Panama City, FL.

There were also two GrappleThons on the same 16th August weekend: first, the NW High Intensity Training Center event in Olympia, WA, shortly followed by Jodie Bear's GrappleThon in Congleton supporting the Donna Louise Children's Hospice Trust. Jodie and her team have raised an incredible £6,000 so far!

There's more Grapplethon action to come this month, with Pura Vida Fighting For Kids on the 31st at Open Mat Fight & Fitness in San Diego, CA. Next month sees a stalwart returning for their second event, with another GrappleThon supporting NVRDC at BETA Academy in Washginton, DC on the 13th of September. On the same day, there will also be a Grapplethon supporting Liam Stark, over at Optimus BJJ in Laguna Niguel, CA (who have also hosted Grapplethons in the past). Finally, Gravity BJJ are into their third Movember Rollathon on the 22nd November up in Surrey, BC.

Good luck to all of you: hopefully I'll be able to add even more GrappleThons to the event page soon! :D



Thursday 27 March 2014

Grapplethon for Dana Moore, March 2014 at Optimus BJJ, Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

Event Report #8, by Monta Wiley, from the Optimus BJJ GrappleThon Supporting Dana Moore

Over the past year Southern California has been a hot spot showcasing great unity in the BJJ Community. March 22 2014 proved to be no exception as a group of grappling martial artists gathered together in Laguna Niguel, California for another monumental Grapplethon charity event, showing their support for 24 year old BJJ blue belt Dana Moore (who recently sustained a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the rib-cage down).

Hosted at Grant Collin’s Optimus Brazilian Jiu-jitsu academy, the event brought together over 60 grapplers throughout Southern California from Atos JJ, Checkmat, Ribiero Jiu-jitsu, Clark Gracie Jiu-jitsu and Tinguinha BJJ, amongst other top jiu-jitsu teams.

From start to finish Team Dana Moore didn’t hold anything back! This fun-filled extravaganza included over 3 hours of nonstop training, a 300 Roll Challenge, and almost every participant walking away with a raffle gift. Most importantly, it exposed the camaraderie that exists in the Southern California BJJ community.

After generating $2,505 from on-the-day donations, it’s safe to say 'Grapplethon: Team Dana Moore' was a remarkable success. The dynamic presentation and atmosphere displayed on the mats at Optimus BJJ exhibited characteristics of kindness and unification amongst grapplers, showing their support for someone in need. In a fascinating twist, we also learned from Dana’s story of perseverance to aid in our journey through life.

Here were some of the closing remarks from people who were a part of the event

Michael Cabrea (Event Participant): I had a fantastic time today! It was great supporting someone in our community! Thanks everyone for the roll. And of course thanks Dana for being such an inspiration!

Grant Collins (Owner/Instructor of Optimus BJJ): Hey guys that was awesome! It was so great having so many talented fighters in one house for a good cause. In fact it was so much fun I wanna do it every month! I want to give big gratitude to everybody who came out to support Dana Moore!

Dave Gieselman (Event Participant): The best part about this event was the sense of unconditional love and support, no questions asked, in that room.

Lynn Fillwber Moore (Dana’s Mother/ Event Spectator): What an amazing BJJ family... We are so touched and honored... THANK YOU Brettimus Weekley, Monta Wiley, Professor Grant Collins, my amazing family Alicia Moore, Lizzie Moore; Pat & Julia Fillweber Foy, Karen and Chris Sabin & munchkins, Steve Pollmann &, Samuel, Megan Foy & Travis, Frank & VeVa Thing, Lindsy Eyler & Cruz, and our awesome friends, Jefe & Caroline Weekley, April Weekley, Brooke & Dave Jakovich, Barry Draskovich, Marilyn Reeves. AND all of the raffle sponsors and donations!!! Just amazing!

Brett Weekley (Event Co-Host): I would like to say thank you to everyone for attending the Grapplethon yesterday. It is amazing to see the BJJ community come together to support a friend. Thanks again Grant Collins for opening your doors and being a gracious host for the event. I'd also like to thank Monta Wiley for organizing everything and letting me help him out. It was an honor being a part of the event and I appreciate all of your hard work and diligence in coordinating everything. A huge thank you.

Monta Wiley (Event Coordinator): Not gonna lie a little bit in tears right now (good ones btw) after this event for various reasons. I just say thanks everyone and Dana Moore you are without a doubt the real champ in the BJJ world and life.

Dana Moore (Event Recipient): Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported me today! Made a lot of new friends today and it was great to see the familiar faces! I hope everyone had a great time and is injury free! A huge thank you to Monta Wiley, Brettimus Weekley, and Grant Collins! Can't thank you three enough!


Let just hope this Grapplethon tradition continues making a positive difference in people lives, always aiming for the same goal showing we simply we care.

Photos courtesy of Technically Sound/EsSuyFe Photography

Tuesday 31 December 2013

December 2013 NorthWest Grapplethon For Haiyan in Seattle, WA, USA

Event Report #7, by Griff Sombke, from the Grapplethon for Haiyan supporting the typhoon survivors

You know it’s a good party when you end up needing this much time to recover…

Grapplethon for Haiyan was, in my opinion, one of the most fun things I’ve ever been a part of. The fact that we had over 50 people training at midnight on Friday night says something about how other people felt about it too. It was amazing to see the whole Northwest Grappling Community coming together for a good cause. And we raised over $9,230 after expenses for the victims of the Typhoon, which was donated to the International Red Cross.

The impetus for all of this was the fear and frustration that I found myself feeling while waiting for news of my extended family in Tacloban. My wife's family live there, and while most of them managed to check in right away, we didn't end up hearing from one of her cousins and her three small children for almost a week. It hit me that, since the Grappling Community in the PNW is very Filipino, I am probably not the only one who was feeling like that. So, as a result, I decided to see if we could put something together to help, rather than just feel frustrated. Sure enough, people jumped on board, and we ended up having a total blast while raising a gang of money. If you were there, you know. You learned some moves, sparred with some new people, and generally had a blast. There was no drama, politics, or anything negative. Just a bunch of people training and smiling.

The biggest challenge I personally ran into was that we ended up using the wrong crowdfunding platform, FundRazr. If you are going to donate to a charity overseas, you're really going to want to check and make sure that your platform can handle that. Otherwise, things get messy. You end up paying way too much in commissions and fees as a result. That cost a good chunk of money right there, and ended up being our single largest expense. I think, unless you are way more savvy with the potential tax implications of this kind of thing, you really want to stick to charities based in your own country. But, honestly, if that's the biggest mistake a first timer made on organizing something like this, then we done good.

Anyway, all thanks and praises to the following:

All of our corporate sponsors: Artlete, Keiko Raca, OK Kimonos!, Liberty Events, KristenPhoto, Foster BJJ, Ring Sports United, and the Carter Automotive Group

All the folks who shared the hell out of this project. Especially Mr. Tom Callos and The 100 Method, Team Ivan Salaverry, Georgette “The Red Menace” Oden, James Foster, Michelle Lena, Brian Martin, Eric Young, and all the rest. You know who you are.

My partner John Sylvester, who was instrumental in securing several huge donations, and functions as critical check on some of my crazier ideas. Professor Rodrigo Lopes, for stepping up with the use of Gracie Barra Seattle when it became apparent that we were going to need a bigger venue, as this idea was a huge hit. Brian Martin again, for lending a much needed hand with some of the back end organization and detail work. My wife Stephanie, who was one of the main driving forces behind this project. Thanks for waking me up to a few things. Love you

And, an extra special shout out to the homie Dan Dejos and Artlete. This LITERALLY would not have been possible without you. Thanks for the killer designs, the networking, the tough rolls, the 5am Jack in the Box run, and for generally being a great guy. I am proud to have had you on the team for this, and I owe you big time, man.

All together, we managed to donate $9230.44 to the Red Cross Typhoon Relief Effort. Good job, folks.

Photos courtesy of Michael Baltierra: full set on flickr