The Jiu-Jitsu community keeps gathering around Grandmaster Francisco Mansor after he was a ttacked in a parking lot and had to be hospitalized.

This weekend, five black belt joined forces at Fabricio Medici’s academy in Astoria, NY for a fund raising seminar.

Professors Cesar Pereira, Marcio Bitencourt, Fabricio Medici, Wellington Godoi  and Lucas Pimenta were on the mats to teach for two and a half hours.

The event was a success and  all the proceeds will go to Mansor’s medical expenses.

You can also helping donating to the GM’s Gofundme campaign.

Red and black belt Joe Moreira is putting together a fundraising seminar on March 26, in Costa Mesa, California.

All the proceeds will be donated to pay for Grandmaster Francisco Mansor’s medical bills.

The red belt was hospitalized after being attacked by two assailants recently.

Mansor’s family put up a GoFundMe account and you can donate any amount you want to help them reach their goal.

Click here to donate and for more info on the seminar.

The event will be on Saturday, July 12 starting at 11 a.m. at 1601 S. Roosevelt Seaside, OR 97138.

The cost is $75 per person which will give entry to the seminar, a meal and a raffle ticket for prizes.

You can pre-order your ticket by calling Professor Nathan at 503-739-0278 or register via paypal at www.oregonjjevents.com

Much of the Jiu-Jitsu community came together in support of the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan ripped through the country. From seminar to open mats, merchandise and pure donations, efforts to rebuild were fueled. One academy in Canada took a step further and not only raised money to help rebuild but also took a trip to the Philippines to make sure the money was well spent.

Marcy Hilario and her husband Milo, owners of Apex Martial Arts in British Columbia, Canada detoured their vacation to put their time to use where it was needed. They even taught some Jiu-Jitsu while they were there.

Read Marcy’s story and check out the photos and video below:

“Milo, my husband, and I were set to take a long awaited vacation to Indonesia, with our plane tickets in hand.  After seeing the news and events that were happening in the Philippines, we were compelled to cancel our trip to Indonesia and go to the Philippines to help in any way possible.

With the help of our caring and generous friends, family and the BC Jiu Jitsu Community we came together and raised money for the victims of the Haiyan Typhoon.  Money was raised through sales and profits from our Academy, Apex Martial Arts and through our martial arts gear company, Katana Fight Gear.  We also hosted a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminar, where some of the local instructors from different Academies came and shared their knowledge to all who attended.

On December 3rd, Milo and I travelled to the Philippines. We journeyed from Manila to Bantayan Island, which is a small island off the coast of Cebu.

When we first arrived on the island you can see the effects of Haiyan; power lines still down, trees uprooted, tops of coconut chopped off, twisted metal and steel, and house missing parts of their roof and walls collapsed.

Not knowing what to do with the money we raised and where to start, we made our way to the Municipality office of Bantayan Island. In the first 1 ½ to 2 weeks on the island we helped the Bantayan community by setting up tents, distributing food and water.  We became translators for other worldwide charities, speaking to the locals in the villages.

Here, in the villages we saw how bad the typhoon was.  Majority of the homes were flattened, people living under whatever materials they can find to take shelter.  Many people lost everything.  Even in these sad and poor times, the people of Bantayan Island stay positive, smiles on their faces and the children still happily play. They are really wonderful and lovely people.  We easily made friends with everyone in this warm community.

From speaking to many locals and making friends within the local municipality we decided that the best way to spend the money we raised was to adopt a few families to rebuild their homes.

And so that is what we did.  We chose several different families in need and bought building materials to help them to rebuild.  The appreciation, joy and happiness we see from these beautiful people is very moving and heartwarming.

My husband also decided that he wanted to share his knowledge of Jiu Jitsu to the local volunteers and workers.  Almost every night for 3 weeks, we would layout tarps teaching the local kids and young adults Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  It was wonderful to teach the locals, always ready for class, wide eyed and so eager to learn.

This whole experience was life changing.  It has moved us to share as much as we can to those in need.  We have started a charity called Solid Ground Foundation, where 100% of the money we raise goes directly to the families, communities and people in need.

Through local Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments and seminars, through profits from Katana Fight Gear (25% of all sales at www.katnafightgear) and through the generosity of private individual donations we will raise money to continue to help the victims of the Haiyan Typhoon.

Donations can be made through www.facebook.com/solidgroundfoundation.  We will have our website www.solidground.org up and running in the next few months.

The group at the fundraiser on Dec. 21. Photo: Juan Pablo Garcia

On Dec. 21 many gathered at GMA Gracie Barra Corona to raise money for typhoon Haiyan relief. The event collected donations in the form of cash, canned food and clothing to send to the Philippines in the wake of the natural disaster that hit the island last month.

In attendance were black belts who helped teach: Gustavo Pires, Kayron Gracie, Juan Pablo Garcia, Budo Jake and more. A raffle took place with gear from sponsors as well.

GB Corona says: “The event was a huge success, a whole lot of fun and a great reminder of the momentum being developed for social potential that our art has and will continue to develop in our communities and the world!”

Check out a video of the event by Juan Pablo Garcia:

The family of Joe Camacho is now accepting donations for his memorial fund. Both MMA fighter and Jiu-Jitsu second degree black belt, Joe passed away Monday of an apparent heart attack.

He leaves behind a legacy in the cage and on the mats at his academy in California.

On Sunday, Dec. 22 New Breed Academy will open its doors for an open mat to gain donations. It starts at 12 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. and suggests a donation of $5.

New Breed Academy is located at: 9848 Jersey Ave. Sante Fe Springs, CA 90670

Even if you cannot make the event you can still contribute by donating money at: www.gofundme.com/5t5ss0

Gracie Barra Costa Rica hosted Brandon Mullins for a charity seminar on Nov. 16. Photo: Arturo Wesson

Brandon Mullins of GMA Gracie Barra Texas traveled to San Juan, Costa Rica for a seminar on Nov. 16 that raised funds for Typhoon Hainan relief efforts in the Philippines. A black belt under Vinicius Draculino Magalhaes, Brandon is an active competitor and instructor who helped GMA Gracie Barra San Juan, Costa Rica raise the funds for charity.

The seminar was last minute but they were able to raise $400 from the participants, $600 from those who wanted to help but couldn’t attend and $400 that was matched by the academy to make a total of $1400! The proceeds went to the American Red Cross.

Learn more about Gracie Barra San Juan by clicking here.