Tapping Cancer Out
by Brian Woodman Jr. on 08/11/15
NutmegMMA.com had a chat with Jon Thomas, the founder and CEO of Tap Cancer Out. The organization, which is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered with the IRS,
will be holding its next Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts on Aug. 15.
Q: When was Tap Cancer Out founded?
A: 2011
Q: Where are you based out of?
A: Lots of people think we’re a big organization and that I do this full time, but it’s actually the exact opposite. We’re just a small nonprofit run out of my house in Stratford, Connecticut. My wife and I both have full time jobs in the advertising world and spend our limited free time working on TCO.
Q: How many events have you held and where have you held them?
A: We’ve held seven so far
- April, 2012 - Stratford, CT
- April, 2013 - Stratford, CT
- June, 2013 - Danvers, MA
- April, 2014 - Stratford, CT
- August, 2014 - Danvers, MA
- January, 2015 - San Diego, CA
- April, 2015 - Stratford, CT
- Our next tournament is this August 15th in Danvers, MA
Q: How many participants do you typically draw?
A: About 200 - 300, but it depends on timing and how well known we are. Our Connecticut tournament always draws a huge crowd but we’re still emerging in California. But each tournament we increase the number of competitors year after year.
Q: How much do you typically raise against cancer?
A: Depends on the tournament. Our last spring tournament we raised a little over $70,000. Our winter tournament (first in California) raised $17,000. Our upcoming tournament in Danvers should raise somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. In 2014 we gave St. Baldrick’s $100,000 after giving the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society $60,000 in 2013. We’ll most certainly exceed $100,000 donated in 2015, it’s just a matter of how much. All of our financial information is public and can be found at http://www.tapcancerout.org/about/annual-reports/
Q: What was the inspiration for the event?
A: My personal inspiration was simply the family and friends I had lost to this disease. I actually gave a TEDx talk about how it all got started It took us a while to land on the concept of fundraising tournaments though. But once we did, we realized this was the best way to effectively raise funds, host a great event, and unite the community.
The organization itself was my way of combining my love for BJJ and hate for cancer in a way that could give back. I also wanted to show the world that the sport of BJJ and its community is a GREAT one, filled not just with fighters but fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and we can make a difference together. Our tournaments give grapplers an outlet to compete in the sport they love while fighting for more than just themselves…they get to fight for those who are in the fight of their lives.
Q: Do you have no-gi bouts?
A: We used to do Gi and No-Gi divisions. But since we’re limited to one day, we’ve switched to Gi only in order to accommodate kids, juniors, and teens divisions. That’s not to say we’ll never have them again though. We may do a No-Gi only tournament too.
11. Are you a private not-for-profit?
12. Are there business or organizational partners?
We have a number of strategic partners who help us TREMENDOUSLY, including Inverted Gear (which is our primary tournament sponsor), BJJHQ.com/RollMore.com, MassPrint, FightSoap, FIVE Grappling, and Manto.
