When Austin grad Thomas Herrera began to schedule his move from California back to Austin, he started to wonder how he was going to pay for it.

He started calculating the cost of moving across the country back to his hometown and he began to worry about how he would cover expenses if something went wrong in the move. Eventually, Herrera pondered starting up a gofundme.com page to cover the expenses of the move.

Then Herrera realized he would be moving back to Austin around the Christmas season and he started to think about his childhood. Instead of raising money for himself, he figured there was a better cause that needed funds.

“When I was a kid, my mom was single with five kids,” Herrera said. “She did the best she could and she had to go through charities to get us Christmas presents. I remember how much that meant to me.”

After Herrera did some thinking, he decided to make a gofundme.com page to raise money for Christmas presents for children who normally wouldn’t receive presents in Austin. Herrera is looking to raise $2,000 total for kids who need presents and he’s raised $515 so far.

Herrera is hoping the town of Austin can come together and rally behind a good cause.

“I want to show to the community that there is still goodness in Austin,” he said. “With all of these negative things happening I want to show there is still positive things people can contribute to. There is still goodness in this world.”

Herrera is also returning to Austin with a new sense of purpose as he has a couple of jobs lined up and he’s hoping to get back in the MMA octagon. He is going to be a mental health counselor at Gerard Academy and he will also be a certified trainer at Total Fitness.

Herrera is hopping he can take the next step in his MMA fighting career. He spent his time in California continuing his education and he also trained at Gracie Fighter Lodi, which is a well known gym in the country and is owned by UFC fighters Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz.

At Gracie Fighter Lodi, which was founded by Cesar Gracie, Herrera said he was able to get the expertise training that is not available in Minnesota. With a wrestling background, Herrera used to be more comfortable fighting on the ground, but in California, he learned how to fight better while standing on his feet.

“I’ve been training with some of the best trainers in the world,” Herrera said. “What they’ve helped me with is my confidence in my stand up game. I feel like a brand new person in the gym or the cage. I’m extremely confident in performing as an athlete and a person in every day life.”

Herrera will be back in action soon has a fight scheduled in Austin in March. He’s hoping to fight at the light heavyweight at 205 pounds, and if he does well in that fight, he’s ready to make the jump and turn pro.

Herrera is 9-3 as an MMA fighter. He beat Juan Hernandez in the A-Town Throwdown V in his last official fight.

This isn’t Herrera’s first charity effort. In 2014, he helped raise money for the Rochester Children’s Hospital by selling t-shirts.

To make a donation to raise funds for Christmas presents for children in Austin, visit Herrera’s page at https://www.gofundme.com/7e6yqca8.

Herrera is pleased with what he’s raised so far and he’s hoping to reach his goal by the time he moves back to Austin.

“I thank everyone who has donated and everyone who has shared,” he said.