Help start Nome, Alaska Jiujitsu!

Hello! My name is Keane Richards, and I am starting a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu group here in Nome, Alaska. I have been practicing Jiu-Jitsu for many years, and have taught BJJ to students in both Tok and Nome. In Nome, I hope to work with adults as well as high-school age students who are interested in learning BJJ.

From my experience with Jiu-Jitsu as well as other martial arts, practicing Jiu-Jitsu builds respect, empathy, work ethic, and compassion. It promotes self-esteem in a healthy and humble way, and emphasizes non-violence, de-escalation, and self-defense in dealing with conflict. Jiu-Jitsu also promotes cardiovascular health, builds strength, and enhances bodily coordination.

There is no greater mental or physical exercise than Jiu-Jitsu, and no greater fun than learning and practicing on the mat! The only issue is... At the Nome Recreation Center, we are missing only one critical thing for our program. We have the space, available time slots, and we have over ten interested participants - but we don't have the mats.

Mats are a critical safety feature for Jiu-Jitsu, both when practicing standing (take-downs and throws) as well as on the ground (rolls, transitions, and escapes).

Right now, we can order foldable mats online and ship them to Nome for about $170 per mat. We need twelve mats, putting our budget at $2,040 to start the program.

Could you chip in whatever you can to get our program off the ground? We would sure appreciate it!

THANK YOU and I hope to see you on the mat sometime.