Jiu-jitsu practitioners came to Maple Ridge from thousands of kilometres away on the weekend to help raise money for charity as part of the annual Roll For a Reason fundraiser.
This yearly event hosted by Northwest Jiu-Jitsu Academy seeks to raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation, with this year’s funds going specifically toward supporting childhood cancer research.
Perry Bateson is both the owner of Northwest Jiu-Jitsu Academy and organizer of Roll For a Reason, which he says is the main driving force behind his passion for the martial art.
“I like competing and winning medals, but that’s such a small part of me,” said Bateson. “This is what I really love to do.”
READ ALSO: Maple Ridge instructor wins gold medal at world jiu-jitsu championship
More than 130 people from across B.C., the Yukon, and even parts of the U.S., gathered at Northwest Jiu-Jitsu Academy on Saturday to participate in the eight-hour event, which included seminars from three experienced black belts.
“A lot of these people had never met before coming here and now they’ve trained together and had a great time,” said Bateson.
A total of more than $12,000 was raised, which Bateson said was amazing to see.
“We build our art through collaboration, not competition,” he said. “We came together as one community. Blending all of our brands, schools, and skills for a greater cause – to fight against child cancer.”
“Next year we embrace more schools and more players to join in the unity of our art to fight cancer.”
READ ALSO: Cops for Cancer comes to Maple Ridge
