Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Teams Up With Covenant House For Homeless Youth

Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a network of martial arts schools throughout Brooklyn, didn’t just spend the month of February teaching people how to kick and punch. The organization also turned its attention to helping homeless and at-risk youth by establishing a donation program to benefit Covenant House of New York.

Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu holds an impressive resume of charitable giving throughout the years, and has made community service a pre-requisite for rank advancement among its own students.

“This is a major part of our mission,” says Gene Dunn, chief instructor of the schools. “I am delighted that we are able to support such an important local resource as Covenant House.”

The instructors are adamant in their belief that martial artists have a responsibility to the communities they inhabit. “Our students come from all over Brooklyn, and many of them have experienced homelessness or resource vulnerability first-hand,” says Brenda Ferrara, Program Director of Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. “This donation drive was really important to us all – we didn’t just want to gather a bunch of goods, we wanted to raise awareness as well.”

Their students feel the same way. Graduates of the school’s Martial Arts Leadership program have completed their own community service projects, which can also be viewed at https://www.bbjjleadership.tumblr.com. Those students, as well as hundreds of others, came together to support the February donation drive for Covenant House.

Dunn concludes, “We have the opportunity to inspire our colleagues in the martial arts as well as our students with this work. Having people come together like this is what Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is all about.”