Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Open For A Good Cause

This past Sunday was an awesome example of the good side of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu community.

I hosted an Open Mat and Toy Drive this past Sunday and the turn out was amazing. People involved with the Louisville Brazilian Jiu-jitsu scene came out to train and donate for a good cause.

I decided on a toy drive because of a personal experience I had as a kid. When I was a young kid my mother was getting over her addiction to alcohol and we had a few rough years as she struggled to get her life straightened out. One incident during this time period really stands out in my memory.

I remember it was the day before Christmas Eve and myself, mom and sisters were sitting in the living room watching t.v. I was sitting over by the christmas tree which was lit up by multi colored lights and garnished with too many fake ice cycles, compliments of my baby sister.

While watching a movie we got a knock at the door. When she opened the door I saw that it was one of the members of our church. They had known my mother’s struggle and were an integral part of helping her get everything together. The church was already involved with giving back to the community. Because they knew the situation we were in they had gathered up some of the items they planned to donate and gave them to us.

At first I saw food items which was cool, but it’s not really what you think about as a kid. Then. . .then I saw toys exchanging hands. As a kid who’s entire toy collection could fit into small white bucket, this was big stuff.

The member of our church came in, wished us a merry Christmas and then was on his way.

That memory of generosity will forever be burned into my memory.

With that, I wanted to help create some meaningful difference, like the one I had experienced, in some local child’s life. So I spoke to one of members of our Brazilian Jiu-jitsu program who’s involved in a number of charities and helpful organizations and asked if he knew one worth getting involved with. After speaking with him we settled on the Family Scholar House organization. You can read more about it at www.familyscholarhouse.com . It’s a very cool organization and their mission is a powerful one.

During the Open Mat yesterday we had over 75 people make contributions and we came away with 100+ toys and gifts that we can give away to kids who are not in the most fortunate circumstances. It was awesome and I hope that these gifts make a positive impact this year.

I’m posting this because Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is an amazing martial art in itself. But more amazing than just the art, and I say this all the time, is the community. Louisville Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has a great community and this kind of generous get together is just one example.

Thanks again, to everyone who came out to support the toy drive!

-Chewy