Firewire Surfboards CEO Mark Price won out with the Best Performance award. Photo: Nelly Nelson/SurfAid
For all the amazing work SurfAid does in rural Indonesia and, recently, Baja, it goes without saying the international non-profit innately understands the DNA of its most ardent supporters. At the end of the day, SurfAid was founded by, is comprised of, and supported by surfers. And even the most benevolent among us are driven at our core by the promise of good surf.
That notion is effectively the theory behind SurfAid’s wildly successful fundraising franchise, the SurfAid Cup, wherein teams compete to raise funds and as a reward, they get to participate in a relay race-style contest alongside pro surfers with few others in the water. Past iterations have been held at notoriously crowded places like Malibu and Steamer Lane, and in Australia at Manly Beach, Bondi, and the Gold Coast. Funds raised go directly to support SurfAid’s award-winning programming, saving lives in Indonesia and Mexico, and surfers in Oz and the U.S. get the rare opportunity to get a few uncrowded waves. It’s a win-win if ever there were one.
Well, if the rewards of supporting SurfAid couldn’t get any sweeter, last week the non-profit held its inaugural SurfAid Cup Surf Ranch under a stifling Lemoore sun, and needless to say, everyone there was pumped for their opportunity to get a crack at the wave.
Supporters flew in from across the country, from the south to the northeast, and even an entire team from Sydney, Australia made the long haul for the chance of a lifetime.
According to a SurfAid presser, the event raised $217,000 for the non-profit’s mother and child health programs.
Firewire CEO Mark Price came out on top of the whole event with the Best Performance award, not that other participants were all that disappointed to lose – they were just excited to get a few waves at the place.
“Funds raised through the SurfAid Cup directly translate to transformational change in our communities,” explained SurfAid founder, Dr. Dave Jenkins. “SurfAid’s hand up not handout philosophy is built to ensure lasting sustainability in our communities. Days like today show that surfers can make a real difference and save the lives of moms and babies in places they love to surf.”
Editor’s note: If you’re interested in participating in a SurfAid Cup event, you can learn more about the next one near you on SurfAid’s website.
