TUFF LOVE 2024 YEAR-END FUNDRAISER
RADICAL RESILIENCE YEAR-END FUNDRAISER: We Take Care of Us
Our year-end fundraiser launches today! This is our crucial fundraising period of the year, when we receive most of our annual donor support.
2024 has been a time of incredible growth and accomplishment for Tuff Love and our gym Four Elements Fitness. We added new self-defense workshops for intermediate students and elders, building on the success of our popular free Eight-Week Self-Defense Workshop Series. We collaborated with community organizations including the Center for Empowering Immigrants and Refugees, Westlake Christian Terrace, Lincoln Square Recreation Center, and our longtime partner Compassion in Oakland to bring new training opportunities to seniors, youth, and everyone in-between. We helped our community counteract violence against AAPI people, LGBTQ+ people, women, and girls. We continued to nurture students of all ages, genders, and backgrounds at our martial arts gym, and we’ve increased our scholarships for youth and adults to make sure no student is turned away for lack of funds.
During the past year, KPIX News honored us with a Jefferson Award for our service to the community (check out their beautiful news story about us!). AAPI Women Lead presented us with their Solidarity Award for supporting their mission to empower Asian American and Pacific Islander women, while Berkeley Women for Good chose us as their Grapevine community giving recipient.
We’ve also faced pressing new challenges. Student demand for self-defense training has nearly doubled after the recent election. Rising supply prices have led to a steep increase in our budgetary needs. And most dramatically, our gym faced significant flooding during late November’s bomb cyclone, leaving us with expenses for clean-up and repairs.
In short, we need your help now more than ever. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on donors like you to continue to offer our free and low-cost programming to underserved communities, particularly women and girls, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and assault survivors. A sense of safety and wellness should be a human right, not a luxury item; your donation can make that possible.
The theme of this year’s fundraiser is “Radical Resilience.” Resilience reflects how we stand up for ourselves, our loved ones, our community, and our planet in the face of challenges. We are radically resilient when we prioritize our own health and wellness in a society that pressures us to hustle and do more; when we model adaptability and empathy to the children and young people in our lives; and when we stand up for marginalized people in our community, knowing that their safety and is fundamentally entwined with ours. In times that deplete our mental and physical wellbeing, developing our inner strength and capacity to care for ourselves and others is in itself a radical act.
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider supporting us by contributing during our year-end fundraising drive, which lasts until December 31. Your donation supports:
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FREE self-defense training open to all members of our community
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Dedicated FREE trainings for AAPI people, LGBTQ+ people, women, youth, and elders
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Low-cost martial arts and fitness training at our inclusive gym
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Scholarships for people facing financial hardship
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Scholarships for kids and teens
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HOW TO TAKE ACTION
Here are ways you can help out:
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1) DONATE. Your donation is 100% secure and tax-deductible. Ongoing monthly donations are the most helpful for allowing us to continue our mission. Any amount is appreciated! To donate, click the "donate button above or go to Fundrazr.com/radical-resilience.
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2) SPREAD THE WORD: Your vote of confidence goes a long way in encouraging donations! Share our fundraiser efforts on your social media platforms and among your circles of friends and family. Tag us @tuffloveselfdefense and @fourelementsfitness with the hashtags #daretobe and #tufflove.
3).CREATE YOUR OWN FUNDRAISER: create your own fundraiser in behalf of Tuff Love on Instagram & Facebook
4).CORPORATE GIFT MATCHING: If your company financially matches donations that their employees make to nonprofit organizations, this is a great way to double your donation.
5) FOLLOW US: @tuffloveselfdefense and @fourelementsfitness on Instagram and Facebook.
Each person who donates, no matter the amount, will be entered in our Radical Resilience Raffle! Raffle winners will be announced at a drawing on January 1, 2025. Please email us if you do not want to be included in the raffle. RAFFLE PRIZES