Making sense of loss and moving forward
What happened four weeks ago was tragic. There is a vacuum in the world. The loss of a young and vibrant life is never easy, is impossible to make sense of, and is wholly disturbing. No one knows how long we will feel the repercussions of Charlie’s passing. We spent the days struggling to comprehend …
Read more »
Celebrating a young life. Remembering Charlie.
Our Surf Ohana went still when we heard the news of Charlie’s passing. Charlie’s immediate family was in shock and immobilized. It’s hard to plan the funeral of your own flesh and blood. Instead, Charlie’s Surf Ohana kicked into action and planned the celebration of Charlie. As a family of “doers” and involved hearts, our …
Read more »Today is a sad day. What to say when a teen commits suicide?
Yesterday one of our boys took his own life. I cannot tell you how it has impacted our Surf Ohana. We are all still swimming in a fog and turning it all over in our minds while our hearts ache and stomachs churn. There are no words. At some point I will blog more on …
Read more »Surfing: A Better Alternative to Cutting Out Trauma
Cutting out the pain A few weeks ago, one of our girls was in pain and was cutting herself with a razor when she, (thankfully) thought to call her mentor. Another girl in our program has a left forearm covered in so many cross hatched scars her skin feels like a coarse linen when I …
Read more »
Can Mentors and Surfing Really Make a Difference?
Proof Of Effectiveness It’s no secret that one of the greatest challenges to non-profits is “proof of effectiveness ” and quantitative measurements. Yet some of the greatest indicators of our impact is in the real life stories. Here’s a short and simple one: Runaway Who Wanted To Surf Last week we got a verbal report …
Read more »
Spring Session 1: First Stoke Is Hard Work But Worth It
Our First Session in 2011 Sessions are 12 hour events for our team… a mad scramble of people and things to manage. Last Saturday marked the beginning of our Spring Session and our staff put in nearly 13 hours that day, in the hot sun AND surfed for at least 3 hours each. Our new …
Read more »
Fundraising to Feed the Boom: More Kids, More Mentors, More Needs
We’re launching our fundraising initiatives for 2011 – please help our Surf Ohana by giving what you can, or simply passing on our information to someone who may be in a position to help. Thanks!
Read more »
Thankful for Our “Insane” Community
2010 was an amazing year. The community really stepped up to help Surfrider Spirit Sessions, even in a tough economy, because they can see the results we’re getting. Our youth participants love the program, and it makes a real difference in their lives.
Read more »