Jeremy May needs your help to win his current battle.

May (Twitter: JeremyMayMMA), a TUF 7 participant who most recently competed under the Strikeforce banner, is attempting to raise $25,000 for The Promise Land Orphanage.  The non-profit facility that operates an orphanage of over 90 children in Pereira, Colombia, has been open since 1999 and they are struggling to stay afloat.

May got involved in the project nearly seven years ago and has been helping and funding the place since.  There have been glimmers of success, but without the proper funding the orphanage faces termination.

“The sad part about it is with no government funding involved, the government will shut them down and keep the staff employed, but they won’t do anything for the children,” May told MMADieHards.com.  “That leaves our children with no place to go.”

A child with no place to go in Colombia is a scary thought.

May said that children are brought into the sex trade or used as drug mules by the guerrillas when not given the opportunity to have a proper life.  From his very first visit, May recognized the dangers children face in Colombia, but the joy he brought them made it difficult to leave.

The orphans were grateful to be offered a better life, but May was surprised at the difference in their standard of living and it changed his perspective on life.

“The first year we were down there we learned so much about how good we have it here,” May admitted.  “We thought we were going to give them a good Christmas, give them toys, and we took them down there and the kids were kind of like, ‘I can’t use this to go to school.’  It was a real eye opener; the toys were just useless material that sat around.  They looked at them like, ‘What am I supposed to do with this?  I have things to do, I can’t use this.’  If it’s a soccer ball, yeah, they’ll use it, but other than that it was useless.”

May visits Colombia at least once a year, but his sister spends about five months per annum in the country.  The TUF 7 cast member finds visiting once every 12 months allows him to use his resources wisely and not turn the trips into a vacation.

Jeremy May at The Promise Land in Pereira, Colombia. (Photo courtesy of The Miami Herald)

There are a number of people assisting May in his effort to keep the orphanage alive, but some do it for the wrong reason.

“There’s a lot of scams and that’s actually how we got involved,” May explained.  “My dad’s cousin was claiming he was raising money for orphanages, but he was just ripping people off.  We raised about $100,000 and gave it to the school and found out he was ripping us off.  We went down there and realized we can help and make a difference.

“Another thing is a lot of church groups want to get involved, but they’ll try to takeover and put their church name on it.  That’s not what this is about; this is to give the kids something better.  We enjoy their help, but don’t brand this, if you want to help, help, don’t use it for bragging rights.”

May is doing everything he can to financially support the children, meanwhile he has to take care of himself too.

May donates all his sponsor earnings and half his purse from each bout he competes in.  He has not fought since May due to a broken hand, which forced the mixed martial artist to generate money in other areas.  Though, he is getting by at home and the orphanage, May cannot raise the $25,000 alone.

The majority of the income May gives to the orphanage covers food, clothing and other daily needs, but that doesn’t include repairs and upkeep of the property.

“The 25,000 is just to cover the materials to put a new roof on the kitchen building,” May explained.  “The government has certain requirements like we have to keep so many employees on staff and it all adds up.  I’ve got everything covered, but the $25,000 isn’t in my budget so I need help raising that money.”

It’s not just money May requires, volunteers are as equally appreciated.

“Anybody that can come out and lend a hand should come,” May said.  “Come see the kids and see how grateful they are to see that somebody cares about them.  They’re secluded there, they go to school and come home to play on the 40 acres we have, but it’s so nice for them to get visitors just to know they’re not alone.”

May also needs people to show him that he is not alone.

The MMA community has been supportive of May’s involvement with The Promise Land.  Ground Control Fight Gear, one of May’s sponsors, have been participating by offering a 20 percent discount when the promotional code “JMAY20” is used to purchase off their website.

May’s training partners, friends and family are doing what they can to help, as well.  But, in order for May and The Promise Land to reach their goal of $25,000 they will need everybody’s help, including yours.

To donate to The Promise Land Orphanage visit Meetmeinthecage.com