In January, our very own, Todd Newell, Financial Advisor, trained and competed in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) tournament with an organization called Tap Cancer Out (TCO). TCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organize that raises funds beyond cancer research; encompassing training, survivorship support, prevention, and even some adventurous initiatives.

At Tap Cancer Out, it has been their belief since day one that the jiu-jitsu community can come together to support these organizations, hospitals, doctors, researchers and volunteers who won’t quit until they’ve forced cancer to tap out.

Todd raised $3,255 dollars through word-of-mouth and the entire event raised $90,107. Todd went on to win his division winning both of his matches by submission. For those who are familiar with BJJ: he won his first match by rear naked choke and his second by kimura shoulder lock.

If you have charitable inclinations and would like to donate to TCO consider contacting Todd at Todd.Newell@wellsfargoadvisors.com or (858) 456-5457. He can direct you towards the links to donate to not only help the cause but receive a charitable tax deduction.

Tap Cancer Out. https://tapcancerout.org

This year, Todd Newell, Financial Advisor Associate Vice President – Investments, coached in the Santee NFL Flag football club for Boys’ Grades first and second. Todd’s team went 4-1 on the season and made it to the finals, narrowly losing the championship. Todd enjoys giving back to the next generation of football players by passing along the skills and techniques he developed over fifteen years growing up in the sport. Todd is noted having said, “I was blessed with three wonderful daughters who have no interest in playing football so it is my distinct honor to coach the next generation of young men to be competitors and practitioners of the sport with the help and support of their parents and the community at large.”  Previously, Todd has coached one year of Pop Warner football in Redondo Beach for boys ages thirteen and fourteen.

 Todd is a San Diego native and started playing full contact Pop Warner football at age ten for the Balboa Raiders. He played all five Pop Warner years with the Balboa Raiders before playing football at his alma mater, St. Augustine High School. At St. Augustine, Todd went on to be the one of the top running backs in San Diego county and played at the CIF Division 3 championship against Marian Catholic (currently Mater Dei), at former Qualcomm Stadium. Todd received a full Division One athletic and academic scholarship to the United States Air Force Academy and continued his football career there. He graduated the US Air Force Academy having gone to two bowl games—the Armed Forces Bowl versus Cal Berkley (2008) and the Armed Forces Bowl versus Houston (2009).

Joris, along with other parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo in Point Loma, went to Mexico near the Colonial slums of Tecate to help organize and provide essential items to over 400 families in need. These are families that scavenge the dump for items to sell. In addition to the Christmas push, Joris will be going to Colonia this year to learn about how the community at large could benefit from additional planning and civic improvement.

Mark and his wife, Lynette, joined close to three thousand other volunteers at Cathedral Catholic High School to pack meal kits to help feed more than a million impoverished families. These are high nutrition, easy to prepare packets that go mostly to the families in Tijuana, but some are sent to families in the Ukraine and Ecuador. The event was such a success the volunteers packed a million meals in less than two days!