2023 Stories of Stoke: Meet Matthew, 2023 Hanai Lead!
Aloha!
My name is Matthew and I’ve been part of the Urban Surf 4 Kids Hanai Mentorship Program since its inception in March of 2017 as a team lead, as a team co-lead and mentor for a few seasons (6 years now).
Outside of being a summertime surfer these days, I love to play music, mostly ukulele and harmonica, but I also play guitar and percussion. I also like to build/code cryptocurrency web applications and do art and design for them.
After starting to volunteer at US4K on the in-water team at Moonlight Beach in December 2014, I’ve also been a water safety lead with Urban Surf 4 Kids since 2015 and have spoken at Urban Surfology and participated at our fundraising outings as well (Uncorked, pop-up sales, etc.) among other volunteer opportunities. I got to go on the First Beach trip sponsored by Reef and a bunch of kids and chaperones from Arizona camped out at our house for the week in San Diego and have served as a mentor for the Dreaming of Aloha achievement program trip to Oahu each trip since 2016.
I initially found US4K via a craigslist Volunteer link and have been coming back ever since because my love for the ocean and sharing that with others has led to some amazing breakthroughs for the kids I’ve been lucky enough to share them with. Being able to be part of someone’s best day ever is a special experience that I hope to never take lightly.
The growth our Hanai kids experience throughout the season is inspiring because they can go from unsure and closed off, to leading the group on a hike or showing another nervous kid how to navigate an obstacle at Rock-n-Jump. To be able to see our kids overcome nervousness and fear that they never thought they could overcome just by catching a wave, surviving a kayak trip or being a regular part of our mentorship programs is a beautiful experience and so empowering.
I moved around a bit growing up, born in LA and then going from LA as a child to Idaho to LA for a few years as a teen and back to Idaho was a unique experience. Growing up in farmland of southern Idaho and being able to be outside a lot either camping, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing or exploring was a pretty cool upbringing. Now, being able to share the outdoors of San Diego (surfing, kayaking, hiking, sailing, …) with kids has solidified my position that being outdoors has healing possibilities like I’d never seen before. So many of our kids have come such a long way and are thriving because of the dedication of our teams.
Building confidence, trust and experiencing the company of caring adults has an immeasurable impact on the kids we serve. Being able to reach kids on a different level with a dedicated, consistent group of adults and kids is something that is super important for our Hanai, kids and mentors both and I’m so glad to be part of it.
Come join us, it’ll change your life. I promise. Whether spending a Summer of Giving or any of the other work we do throughout the year to benefit children in need, it has changed mine to be sure.
Aloha to you,
Matthew
