Florida Aikikai New Mat Drive (TOP SECRET!)

Florida Aikikai New Mat Drive (TOP SECRET!)

From Brad Edwards

SSSSHHHHH!!! This fundraiser is a secret! Don't tell Peter Sensei! The students of Peter Bernath Shihan are raising funds to surprise him with brand new tatami mats for his dojo.

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Recent Updates

Update #2

over 1 year ago

To everyone who has donated to our mat drive so far, thank you very much!

However...the credit card processing company that is used by Fundly (Stripe) has reviewed our account, and all the supporting documents I provided that they wanted, and they have concluded that they cannot continue to support our account.

What this means: Your donations are safe! All donations should be returned to you within 5 days. If you do not get your donation refunded to you by then, please let me know.

This also means we simply need to change the way we're doing the fundraiser. I will be quickly reviewing our options, and I'll have another way to donate shortly.

I am very sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope you decide to redirect your donation back to us as soon as we determine the best way to receive them. Thank you again very much for your patience and generosity!

More Info

Florida Aikikai provides southern Florida with some of the best Aikido instruction in the country under tutelage of Peter Bernath Shihan and his wife Penny Bernath Shihan -- both members of the United States Aikido Federation Technical Committee.  In appreciation for Peter Sensei's dedication to his students throughout the years, and especially during the recent pandemic, we want to surprise him with brand new mats for his dojo. 

The Florida Aikikai is a beautiful training space with 105 tatami mats (210 square meters).  The mats in use now are showing their age with many cracks, rips, and punctures.  A full replacement is needed, but with the dojo shut down much of the pandemic, it may take some time for the dojo to raise the funds itself.  

If you have ever been a student of Peter Bernath Shihan, please consider donating to our fundraiser to give him and the Florida Aikikai the very foundation from which many more years of great instruction may continue!

This will be a big drive!  We're asking everyone to dig deep on this one.  We know it is still a difficult time for everyone, which is why we have made the fundraising drive active until November.  We are asking students of Peter Sensei to consider contributing at least one additional month's worth of training (just $37.50 for each of the 4 months) if you can, which would put us very far along toward our goal!  Of course, we understand if this is too much for some.  For those students, or for anyone wishing to support our goal, we welcome all contributions!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

At the end of the fundraiser, those that have donated enough for at least one mat will get their name attached to one of the new mats purchased for the dojo.  In addition to this, we will be presenting Peter Sensei with a plaque to hang in the dojo with the names of those who donated towards the new mats. 

Thank you very much for your consideration!

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Brad Edwards posted a new update:
over 1 year ago

Update #2

To everyone who has donated to our mat drive so far, thank you very much!

However...the credit card processing company that is used by Fundly (Stripe) has reviewed our account, and all the supporting documents I provided that they wanted, and they have concluded that they cannot continue to support our account.

What this means: Your donations are safe! All donations should be returned to you within 5 days. If you do not get your donation refunded to you by then, please let me know.

This also means we simply need to change the way we're doing the fundraiser. I will be quickly reviewing our options, and I'll have another way to donate shortly.

I am very sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope you decide to redirect your donation back to us as soon as we determine the best way to receive them. Thank you again very much for your patience and generosity!

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Brad Edwards posted a new update:
over 1 year ago

Update #1

To everyone who has donated this week, thank you! You've gotten us more than a quarter of the way toward our goal in just one week!

Unfortunately, we have encountered a problem. Apparently, some digital thugs have found our fundraiser form and have been attempting to make several bogus charges, and the payment processor is preparing to close our account. Please do not worry about your donation -- this would simply mean that your donation would be refunded.

I'm currently working to dispute this, but for now if you try to donate, you may get a message that this account is closed or unable to process your donation at this time. Please be patient with us, and I will try to have this issue resolved as soon as possible!

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