Local MMA gym wants your help sending four kids to junior kickboxing championship in Hawaii

IDAHO FALLS – Team Lionheart MMA, a mixed martial arts gym at 510 2nd Street in Idaho Falls, needs your help sending four junior kickboxers to a competition in Hawaii.

Thirteen-year-old Chance Somma and his 10-year-old brother, Gunner, are headed to the King of the Ring Junior Kickboxing Championships in December. Twelve-year-old Kaysah Perrenoud, along with 16-year-old Logan Glauser, who competed in Austria last year, have also been invited to compete.

RELATED | You can help send local teen to world kickboxing championship

“It’s a really big deal to get invited (to this event),” gym owner Weston Barnes tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s not a tournament, it’s a normal fight card. But it’s a chance to go to Hawaii (and compete with athletes across the country).”

The venue is providing food and lodging, but competitors have to pay their own way to get there. They need about $3,200 to make it happen.

Barnes and his team are hosting their fourth annual car wash fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday to raise money for airfare. It’s happening in the parking lot next to the gym. Car washes are $7 for cars and $9 for trucks. They’ll also be grilling and selling hamburgers, chips and sodas for $5.

Additional food vendors will also be there, including Shaved Oasis Sno Cone Shack and the GMF Taco truck. A portion of the proceeds from those vendors will go towards the cause.

“We hope the community can come out and support them. The kids worked really hard to be able to fight. It’s not an easy process. They dedicate a lot of time and effort to this and we want to make it worth it for them,” Barnes says.

Those unable to attend the car wash are encouraged to make a donation through @Weston-Barnes-1 on Venmo. You can also click here to pay through Cash App.