Worth Defending: Tuff Love Year-End Fundraiser

The COVID-19 pandemic and political extremism have both contributed to making life immeasurably more insecure and unstable for youth and vulnerable populations in our community. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the incidence of attacks on members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, including its elderly, has increased by a stunning 576 percent compared to 2020 . Members of the LGBTQ community are nearly four times as likely to be attacked or sexually assaulted than non-LGBTQ people . Furthermore, the CDC reports that emergency room visits for mental health problems among young people under age 18 increased nationally by approximately 30% in April 2020 alone . We at Tuff Love Fitness are playing a unique role to address these concerns in our community, and we seek supporters to join us in these urgent and necessary efforts.

Join us in raising funds to support Tuff Love Fitness’ programs. Your tax-deductible donation funds free and low-cost self-defense and martial arts training for the Bay Area and beyond, including: 

• Tuff Love Self-Defense: Free and low-cost self-defense training opportunities for communities in need

• Tuff Squad Kids Program: Low-cost, empowerment-focused martial arts and self-defense for kids 5-16

• Four Elements Fitness: An inclusive, women-run martial arts and fitness gym in downtown Oakland

• Tuff Love Scholarship Program: Offering complete and partial scholarships for participants in our training programs, based on financial need

Your support will help us continue and grow the programs, giving our community an affordable and supportive gym to learn and thrive and a toolbox of skills to increase confidence and safety.

What's Worth Defending

Have you ever considered what in your life is worth defending? What would you stand up for, without question, no matter what?

Our theme for this year's fundraiser is Worth Defending, because for us, personal and community wellness begins with the idea that each one of us has something worth defending. At Tuff Love Fitness, we believe that your safety and your physical and mental wellbeing are worth defending. No matter your age, gender, race or sexual orientation, you deserve to feel confident and safe walking down the street. We believe that the values of inclusivity, community, wellness, and safety are worth fighting for, and that self-defense training can be beneficial for everyone—physically, psychologically, and socially—no matter one’s size, strength, or skill level. Throughout each day of teaching, each workshop and class, we work to defend the community and world we want to live in.

New Adventures and Horizons in 2022

 At Tuff Love Fitness, this past year has been a time of growth and exciting new opportunities. After founding our nonprofit, initiating our AAPI Safety and Self-Defense programming, and assuming leadership of Four Elements Fitness gym the previous year, 2022 gave us a chance to take a deep breath, take stock of how far we've come, and find new ways to serve our community. From starting a youth martial arts and self-defense program to taking our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students to compete in a tournament, this has been a year of new adventures and horizons.  Here are some highlights from 2022: 

• We served over 500 students during our free, eight-week, self-defense workshops, offered in collaboration with Compassion in Oakland, including trainings targeted to elders in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
• We partnered with Alameda County to provide safety and self-defense trainings to at-risk young women who have been sex trafficked or are at high risk for sex exploitation.
• We provided safety and self-defense trainings for students and faculty at San Mateo High school and Las Positas College, including training targeted to the AAPI community.
• We partnered with the YMCA in San Francisco to offer self-defense workshops online.
• We served over 100 students at Four Elements Fitness, our inclusive, membership-based, martial arts gym in downtown Oakland.
• We provided partial gym scholarships to members of the Youth Spirit Artworks Tiny House Empowerment Village in the East Bay. 
• We launched the Tuff Squad Kids Program, a self-defense and martial arts program for youngsters ages 5-16. Ninety percent of the students in this program are female or nonbinary, and 50% receive  full Tuff Love scholarships to participate.
• We led our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team to earn 3 gold medals, 4 silvers, and one bronze in the BJJ Tour Tournament, as well as third place overall in the adult gi division! Our competitors were all female or nonbinary and almost all had never competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before. 
• We presented safety and self-defense training at the annual AAPI Women Lead Conference.
• We partnered with Oakland Central to promote activities and businesses in Frank Ogawa Plaza through grassroots outreach. 
• We distributed self-defense tools such as whistles, alarms and flashlights, generously donated by Berkeley's Third Culture bakery. 
• We continued to respond to the safety needs of our community during the Covid-19 pandemic through safe masking and vaccination practices at all our trainings and classes. 

Your Support Defends Our Community

We are holding our year-end fundraising drive from November 28-December 31. Your donation helps individuals access self-defense, martial arts and fitness programs and support health and safety in our communities.  All donations are 100% secure and tax-deductible. (Please note: if you'd like to make a donation through a means other than this website, please contact us at info@tufflove.org). 

Ongoing monthly donations are the most helpful for allowing us to continue our mission. Any amount is appreciated! You can change or cancel your gift at any time.  Here’s what your monthly support can do over the course of a year: 

• $16 per month: funds one month of free unlimited training at Four Elements Fitness for a student in need
• $35 per month: Covers half the total expenses for an outdoor AAPI safety training
• $50 per month: Covers two hours of self-defense instruction for a nonprofit or educational group
• $100 per month: Covers half the expenses for our free eight-week self-defense series 

Please help out by donating what you can and sharing our campaign with friends and family. We appreciate you, our community, more than words can express. We can't do this without you! 

Let's Defend What Matters Most 

2022 has been a year that called for breaking out of our shells. This year, we blossomed; we asserted ourselves; we thrived! As the year comes to a close, please join us in defending the wellness of ourselves and our communities. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on donors to help us continue to provide community programs to your underserved communities, particularly low income and marginalized youth, women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks and assault survivors. With your help, we can make 2022 our safest, strongest, and most empowered year ever!