Tap Cancer Out is among the most well-known BJJ charities in our sport, and when you see the amount they can raise to help organizations supporting cancer victims and looking for a cure, it’s easy to see why.
Back in February, the nonprofit had raised nearly $1.4 million since 2012. This year, though, that number skyrocketed following the efforts of the organization’s team (including and especially the CEO, Jon Thomas) and, of course, the jiu-jitsu community. Yesterday, Thomas was able to proudly present a cheque for $870,000 to their 2019 beneficiary, Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
This year’s amount is nearly double what TCO managed to raise last year (a still highly impressive $465,000) and brings their total donations up to $2.25 million.
TCO shared the big news today, thanking the jiu-jitsu community and breaking down the numbers that clearly show the work required to reach such impressive donation amounts:
“So this happened today…
Liz Scott’s reaction when Becky wrote the 8 in $870,000 made it all worth it (check the IG story and turn your sound on 😆). I may have intentionally held our cards close to our vest this year, not letting on that this year’s gift to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation would nearly double last year’s.
An incredible amount of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears put forth by our fundraisers, competitors, volunteers, partners, and TCO team members, all boiled down into one (very large) number. 13 tournaments. 12 states. 4 Showcases. 100 Superfights. 2,000+ fundraisers. 4,776 competitors. 20,000+ donors. Enough numbers to make your head spin.
This was no small feat. So many of you contributed to this accomplishment. Let me apologize in advance if you don’t feel recognized because I don’t know how to thank you all. Just know if you’re reading this, we thank you.
Let it be clear, the BJJ community accomplished this. Our martial art. Our sport. Our competitors. Others may call it “pajama wrestling” or tell you “it doesn’t work in the streetz,” but there are VERY few sports that have birthed a grassroots nonprofit that has achieved these feats. This is the vision I saw so many years ago, not long after I began my BJJ journey and realized the potential this community had to change the world.
Want a few more numbers? Let’s look at TCO’s impact over the last 8 years:
🔰 2012: $29,897
🔰 2013: $60,010
🔰 2014: $100,000
🔰 2015: $110,000
🔰 2016: $236,000
🔰 2017: $380,000
🔰 2018: $465,000
🔰 2019: $870,000
Since inception, we’ve raised and donated more than $2.25 million to our beneficiary organizations. I know World Championships and ADCCs and trash-talking Superfights are cool and all, but this seems like a pretty big deal in the history of our sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I’m so proud of our community and our sport.
We’re already on to 2020, where we’ll add 8 tournaments (21 total) in 8 new cities and 1 more Sun-Only Showcase(4 total). Our gift will exceed $1,000,000 for sure and we’ll now support not only Alex’s Lemonade but also a number of additional beneficiaries, both locally and internationally, in a variety of ways beyond just research and family support services (which are super important). We will continue to surprise the doubters and fulfill our vision to give every BJJ practitioner the opportunity to fight for those in the fight of their lives. Thank you for trusting us, believing us, and joining us on this journey. And if you’re just finding out about us, it’s never too late to hop on the bandwagon!”
Make sure you’re following Tap Cancer Out on social media, and check out their website to see how you can get involved!
