Ambassador of Aloha

I learned to surf in 1995 when I moved to San Diego from Phoenix with some friends and fell in love with the healing power of the ocean. I taught friends and co-workers to surf on ‘Surf Saturdays’ throughout the years and was looking for an outlet that had more impact, something that connected with my experience growing up in a fatherless home and offered the chance to share my love for the ocean and the outdoors with kids in need.

Urban Surf 4 Kids is the type of program that would have served me very well as a youth, serving to give me a sense of belonging and positive role models, so I try to be just what I needed as a youth for the kids in our program. From the very first youth that I taught to surf, with everyone on the beach hooting and hollering, cheering her on, I was hooked on being able to provide the kind of joy and pride of riding a wave to a kid that just needed a day at the beach. Needing an opportunity to forget about all of the other stuff happening in life and just ride a wave.

What has kept me grounded all these years, teaching me patience, love and understanding, is my loving wife and partner of 30 years and our wonderful 28 year old daughter.

I have served as a volunteer in many capacities with Urban Surf 4 Kids for over 12 years; as a Surf Therapy Camp in-water mentor since 2014, an early Board Member from Jun 2016 to Mar 2019, lead in-water safety instructor, Hanai mentor and team leader, Dreaming of Aloha life skills mentor, special events and fundraiser volunteer and I have been helping to manage and maintain the US4K website since 2015.

Having the opportunity of seeing our youth grow up and holding space for them to overcome complex traumas and become empowered to be positive models in their homes and schools, and even enough to become mentors themselves, serves as reinforcement that we are doing good in our programs.

Being a force for good and meeting hundreds of volunteers who do the same, and meeting hundreds of kids each year who need our services, keeps me coming back again and again to be a part of that and experience their joy, whether it’s their first time at the beach ever or they’ve been part of our programs for years.