“I believe that giving back helps us grow and understand others, but you just have to find something that you connect with. For me that’s surfing. You never know the impact you can make on someone by just showing up.

I think there’s a pretty mutual feeling between the volunteers when you see a kid with little to no water experience get on a board for the first time and catch a wave all the way to shore until the board anchors itself onto the sand. Before they can even jump off they’re smiling from ear to ear! Even the most closed off kids can’t help it. They love it!”

-Lloyd Wilkinson

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The confidence that is gained from catching that first wave at one of our events is earth shaking. You can see it, you can feel it.

Many of our kids aren’t quite sure what to make of this thing, this surf camp, this gathering. For some of them it has taken 3 trips or more to one of our camps for them to be even comfortable allowing someone to take them into the water and to get on a surfboard.

A day at the beach? All of these strangers moving around? What is this? Who are they?

The dance of 100 participants, kids running around being kids, 100 volunteers playing frisbee or volleyball with the kids, people getting in and out of wetsuits, pairing up for a surf, switching to sand castle building, it’s all foreign, it’s all a weird, seemingly other world.

My hope is that those kids that take the longest simply see the same faces time and again and have on some small level developed a base level of trust for what we do here and allow us to take them on this trip.

Oh the change present once they accomplish riding that wave though, especially when someone else sees it and gives them a shout of joy, a hoot of excitement, a high five. That smile is big, that hoot is a sweet song. That boost of confidence is a moving thing to see.

How do we do this?

What makes it all come together is our volunteers, each and every single time. The outpouring of support for our kids comes from amazing people giving of their time and of themselves to make this day the day that one of our kids overcomes the fear of whatever is holding them back and conquers that wave. Having someone there for them in that moment is the most powerful thing that we can offer.

That presence is the thing that effects the change in our kids and that change can be life altering.

The power of showing up makes the difference in someone’s life.

For each of our camps we limit the number of volunteers for a spot and that’s because we’re trying to match the number of volunteers available to participants who have signed up.

We try our very best at every surf camp to have a one to one ratio for our kids in the water. This serves multiple purposes.

For one, as a water safety measure to keep kids safe. A water-safety person for each participant can seem like a bit much, but the benefit is tremendous. When the kids feel safe they will often push and exceed their boundaries and experience much more growth.

For another purpose, as an opportunity for our participants to have the undivided attention of an in-water instructor to make this day a success. Whether it’s making micro adjustments for their wave riding or high fives for the accomplishment, a ‘good effort’ word of encouragement for the next one, or a tip on how to handle the next one our volunteer’s one on one time with our participants make this a unique surf experience, a unique and special day.

If you sign up, show up. It’s not just us counting on you, it’s our kids.