I've been raising awareness and funds for human/animal
causes since I first surfed with
Patrick Ivison,
a quadriplegic surfer, on August 20,
2009. Twenty one months later, on July 25, 2011... I raised my $100,000th dollar
for Patrick the Miracle Dog! Bringing
my fundraising journey full circle!
Since 2009, I held over 50 fundraisers, and raised
funds/awareness for more than 150 human/animal causes. And, I plan to
continue!! In addition, my sponsor,
the Rose Foundation awarded a grant to cover an additional three years of
physical therapy for Patrick. It costs
about $30,000 a year for his
therapy, so the grant really helped his family a LOT!I
love the Rose Foundation!
My path in life was to become a service dog through
Puppy Prodigies, and help a person with
a disability. But, as I grew, so did my
interest in chasing birds, and small, furry prey animals! That's a no-no for a service dog. Then,
one day I was out in the water with Patrick, and we were surfing side by
side on our own boards. When we reached shore, I jumped off my board and
onto his... pretty much telling everyone I wanted to tandem surf with him.
So, a
"board" meetingwas held, and my career path changed. After
that, my title went from service dog to SURFice dog!
I took my natural ability of balancing on a surfboard, and made it
meaningful... I wanted to make a difference. So, Surfin'
for Paws-abilities was born!... which is a fundraising initiative carved out for
me through Puppy Prodigies. I'm still able to be part of Puppy
Prodigies! Yay! Don't tell Puppy Prodigies, but
they wanted me to make a difference in the life of one person with a
disability, but I had other plans... I wanted to make a difference in
millions of lives!
My videoFrom
service dog to SURFice dog is a testament to that, as it went viral &
has almost 4 million! 100% of the funds I raise goes directly to my causes, and donations are tax deductible through my
alma mater, Puppy Prodigies, a 501(c)3 non profit organization.
To accept another as they are meant to be
is the true meaning of prodigy
to find a place to stand out and shine
even if it was not what someone else had in mind
to bask and glow in the goodness one can possess
to forget the no, and learn the yes
one’s truth path takes time to discover
and when one does, there is no other
My
mission is, to achieve my highest surfing paw'tential to
serve in the role of an assistive aid to persons with disabilities while surfing
with them. My objective is to act as an ambassador and live a lifestyle of helping
others by pawing it forward while raising awareness and funds for human/animal
causes. I aspire to be the catalyst that motivates and inspires
others to focus on the CAN do's in life while letting go of expectations,
accepting others for who they are, staying true to themselves, following their
heart, and believing anything is possible.
By living this way... I'm able to unleash more
paws-abilities! I'm the only known dog in the
world that surfs with special needs kids, and people with disabilities
as an assistive aid. I'm able to counter-balance the surfboard to keep them
from falling off, and I adjust my surfing style based on
their disability! Paw-abunga! I also surf for fun & win surf dog contests
too!
What usually happens
with my fundraising is, people
make tax deductible monetary donations for the specific charitable cause I'm
fundraising for. If you'd like to hang loose and support my surfing
efforts, scroll down to find out what my
current fundraiser
is!
All donors will have their name on
the donors page, and corporate donors will have their logos on that page too! If there are any videos, photos or other paw'parazzi
stuff, they will be emailed to all donors and sponsors. I
also mention my sponsors, along with their links on my
Facebook
page.
I
also raise awareness for various causes by networking, writing press releases
(mom helps with that), working with the media, staying current with online
social networks, and more. The more awareness that is created helps more
people learn about the causes, which raises more money, and more people are
ultimately helped! It doesn't always take money to make a
difference though... many of my supporters help by being an extension of me, and post
my information on their websites, blogs, facebook, twitter, etc.
In addition to donations,
and raising awareness, if you'd like to support Surfin'
for Paws-abilities in other ways, It'd be rad to have your help! You
could volunteer to join
Team Ricki,and assist me in the water during practice sessions or actual
competitions, donate a surfboard,
become an on-going sponsor, make an in-kind donation, take pictures or videotape, be one of the
(cheer)leaders of the pack,
and attend a contest, or ? Just
send me an email ... "pawinspired at aol dot com", and let's
consider the paws-abilities!
SURF DOG RICOCHET'S CAUSES FUND
This fund is for miscellaneous fundraisers and campaigns, and includes proceeds
from my tshirt & other stuff
sales. Sometimes I have campaigns on Facebook
to help raise awareness and funds for as many causes as possible. You
can learn more about them on my
ReFUR a
FURiend page. This fund is basically set up to draw from for different campaigns
or causes that come up. Or, to augment fundraising goals that fall short
of the amount set.
The causes that
receive donations from this fund
include rescue groups, animal shelters, humane societies, other animal causes
such as K9 cancer, and human causes, including autism, adaptive surfing, people
with disabilities, war veterans, dogs/soldiers in afghanistan, children with
cancer, and more.
Please click the
donate button below! Thanks for your support.
I'm the
Reality Rally
Spokesdog, and the reality stars challenged me
to raise more money than them. Last year, I beat them out of the water
& raised over $8000!
Reality Rally is a
three-day weekend event, April 13-15 intended to
raise funds forMichelle's Place,
a resource center where women can go for help in coping with the challenges
of breast cancer.
I'm the Grand Marshall for the San
Diego Canine Cancer Walk for Morris Animal Foundation Canine Cancer Campaign
on February 18, 2012. We see too many
of our doggie FURiends succumb to cancer, and I want to fight it.
One in 4 dogs die of cancer, and many others will get it.
My FURiend
Snoco is
helping me in this fight through his tip jar campaign.
My BFF, Stacey Mae entered a contest
where she could have won a $250 donation to her favorite rescue. But,
due to some conflict in the contest, Stacey withdrew, and decided to
raise the $250 for Lucky dog anyway.
Jessica Joy Rees
was a beautiful, giving, and incredibly brave 12 year old girl. On
March 3 2011, an MRI found she had an in-operable brain tumor. In September,
another brain tumor was found.
On January 5, 2012, 10 months, and 2 days
later, she earned her wings, and now looks down on us from heaven. I started
a fundraiser for her NEGU Foundation, which was Jessie's motto... never,
ever give up. With the help of my pawmazing donors, $5500 was raised.
Emma Zen
was working on getting six oxygen masks for the Coronado Dog Beach.
Three were secured, so I donated funds for the other three. We need to
keep our doggies safe at beaches!
SURFIN'
SANTA PAWS HOWLIDAY GIVING DRIVE This is my
third year doing a Howliday drive. The first year it was for
kids, the 2nd year it was for kids & kritters. THIS year, it's
even more widespread, with several different drives all bunched
into one. And, the focus is on kids helping kids & animals
in need!
The drives include the kids at St John School who
are doing a toy drive with me. Then, there's my kritter
toy drive. Rina's getting involved this year & is having a
soles for souls shoe drive. A few of my kid FURiends are
have special projects that I'm helping them with too. Cole
is an 11 year old boy with leukemia who's having a Christmas Toy
Drive for other kids in the hospital. Maria is an 18 year
old girl who works with her dog Stacey Mae bringing teddy bears
to kids in hospitals & folks in nursing homes. Emersyn is a 10
year old girl who uses her love for crafts by making cards for
kids will illnesses in an effort to cheer them up. She calls her
cards "smiles". For more info on this fundraiser
click
here.
As part of the Iams/Helen Woodward Animal
Center's Home 4 the Holidays adoption drive, Iams had a food drive
called
Bags to Bowls, and their goal was to donate 5 million bowls of food
to the 3500 animal shelters that participate in the program.
Iams gave me the opportunity to raise some of those
bowls. They gave me 50 bowls for every comment I got on this picture I
posted on my Facebook page. The plan was for me to hold this drive
throughout the holiday season. But, in just over 24 hours, I had over
20,000 comments, which came out to 1 million bowls of food!! So,
my food drive campaign ended early, but we were able to feed a LOT of
animals!
Rina has a "thing" for shoes.
Anytime someone comes over, she grabs a shoe, wags her tail, and greets
the visitor. There are usually several shoes in our yard and driveway,
and mom often has to ask Rina where her other shoe is. Shoes.com
had a photo contest, and pets were to enter a picture of them with
shoes. Rina entered this one, and won! The prize is a $100
giftcard to shoes.com, AND even better, a $100 donation to Petfinder!
Another FURiend, Katy Reilly Myers had the most pawmazing idea to honor Rudy. I was
so touched, I immediately wanted to help facilitate it! So, together, with
Katy, and Rudy's FURiends, we pawed it forward for Rudy. He was a rescue from
Rancho Coastal Humane Society, and Katy thought it
would be grrreat to rally Rudy's FURiends together to make donations on
behalf of Rudy to purchase a memorial brick that will be engraved with a
tribute, and permanently placed on the RCHS Military Working Dog Memorial,
located in Cricket's Corner Dog Park.
Rudy used to
play there.
We raised enough funds to also pay for the adoption fees
once Rudy's mom Laura, and his brother Marley are ready for a new family
addition. The remainder of the funds will go to RCHS animal fund. For
more info on this fundraiser,
click
here.
SURF DOG
SURF-A-THON
On
September 11, 2011, I surfed in the
Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon to raise funds for orphaned
animals. Last year, YOU helped me raise $3085!! I was the highest
doggie fundraiser for the event, and in fact for the last 5 years they've
been holding it!This year, I wanted to raise even more!!
Click here for more
information.
I was a charity partner with the
Surf City Surf Dog
surf contest on September 25th, 2011 in Huntington Beach, and
Chase Away K9
Cancer was my beneficiary. I honored
Chase, and all my other FURiends who lost their battle to
cancer.
One in 4 dogs die of cancer, and many others will get
very, very sick from the effects of cancer. Sadly, an estimated 50
percent of all dogs will die of this disease... together we can make a
difference!
Click here for more information
Thanks to
donors who donated to my causes fund, I was able to have a ReFUR a FURiend campaign for rescues/causes on Facebook.
For every new LIKE they referred, they received $1.00. For more information,
check out my ReFur a FURiend
Campaigns page.
My first $1.00 was raised for
quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison. The first time I surfed with him
was August 20, 2009. Since then, I've
held over 40 fundraisers & raised over $100,000.
My fundraising journey has gone full circle. My first
$1.00 was for Patrick the boy, and my $100,000th dollar was for Patrick
the dog!! Funny how life works, huh?! The circle of life!!
Click here for more info.
I was nominated for an
American Humane Association Hero Dog Award in the category of
Emerging Hero Dog. I won my category, and the prize was a $5000
donation to the charity of my choice. I chose
The Pine
Street Foundation for canine cancer detection
Thanks to the proceeds from my
tshirts, stickers & wristband
sales, I had a ReFUR a FURiend campaign for rescues/causes on Facebook.
For every new LIKE they referred, they received $1.00. For more information,
check out my ReFur a FURiend
Campaigns page.
My FURiend
Stacey Mae collects
teddy bears for kids in hospitals, and recently, she decided to also add
care packages. My FURiend Ecco D'oro from
www.pawsitivepaths.com
donated $250 to my causes fund, and I donated it to Stacey!
My FURiends at
Incredible Featuresdonated $1.00 for every like I referred
to their page up to $500. I donated it to various different causes,
which you can see
here.
Thanks to the proceeds from my
tshirt & wristband
sales, I had a ReFUR a FURiend fundraiser! The Facebook
cause/entity, or non profit organization that reFURred the most NEW FURiends/likes
to my
Facebook
page received a
donation.
When I was just 1000 fans away from
30,000 I wanted to do something really special for that
milestone. So, until I reached it, I asked people to pass
the buck! They made a $1.00 donation (or more) to my causes fund, and when I
reached 30,000 fans, I divided the money between a human and animal
cause.
This was a fundraiser where people didn't have
to outlay any cash, but they still get a tax write off!
They
sent me DVD and/or Video Games
they didn't use anymore as a donation. They
sent DVDs, Wii, DS, PS2, PS3 PSP,
Xbox or Xbox 360 games that
were already played.
After I
collected them all, I sent them to a re-selling company. They
re-sold them to retailers that sell used games and movies. They
gave me 70% of the value of the
games I collected. The average dollar amount returned back to
participating programs has been about $2500 on an estimated 400 products
collected. For more info, go to my
Game & Movie Drive page.
PICTURE
YOUR RESCUE IN A FUREVER HOME! I held a photo Contest on Facebook for
Rescues to enter pictures of their animals up for adoption. There
were two winners, a small rescue, and a large rescue.
REFUR
A FURIEND, MAY 2011
One of my Facebook FURiends,
Pet Pardons
had a contest. Whatever page brought them the most "likes" would win $500.
Thanks to my pawmazing fans, I sent the most likes to them, so I won. In the
spirit of pawing it forward, I asked Pet Pardons to split the prize five
ways, to other causes with more need. It went to five different rescue
groups.
That contest inspired me, so, I created the "FURiends of Facebook Awareness
& Fundraiser. The page/cause that sent the most referral FURiends to
my
Surf Dog
Ricochet Facebook Page within a 4 day period, would get $500 donation to
their cause from me (Puppy Prodigies). I ended up giving the 1st place cause
$500, and then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th places got $100 each. To see a list
of the recipients, go to my
ReFur a FURiend Campaigns
page.
Pet Pardons is a facebook app designed to promote
animals that need forever homes.
http://apps.facebook.com/petpardons/. During
the week of April 25, 2011 they had a Facebook contest... whoever sent
them the most Facebook "likes" would receive $500. My fans helped me
send the most. In the spirit of Pawing It Forward, I asked Pet
Pardons if we could split the $500 among five of the other Facebook
pages that also tried to get them more likes. The following
pages were given $100 each...
I met my new FURiend
Jessica Joy Rees
on her
Facebook page. She is a beautiful 12 year old girl. Sadly, on
March 3, 2011 an MRI
revealed she has a in-operable brain tumor.
When Jessica found out she had a brain
tumor, she realized there are a lot of people who wanted to help her. But,
she also realized there are a lot of people who NEED help. She was
thinking of others despite her own challenges. I was immediately
connected to her spirit of wanting to help others... it kind of parallels my
initiative of
Pawing It Forward, so I created this fundraiser "Pawing It Forward to
Help Jessie Spread Joy".
Jessica and her family formed a non profit
organization called
The NEGU Foundation, which stands for Never Ever Give Up...
Jessica's motto! Jessica has inspired thousands of people to NEGU! The
Foundation will deliver Hope and Joy to
children who have received a diagnosis similar to Jessica’s,
and help fund cancer research.
For more information about this fundraiser,
click here.
My sister, Rina's birthday is April
20th... she'll be 8 years old.
When I asked what she
wants for her birthday, she didn't hesitate... "I want to try fundraising like you do, Ricochet... I
wish for a fundraiser of my very own!" I then asked her who she
wanted to fundraise for. Again, she didn't hesitate...
"I want to fundraise for
Associaton
of Amputee Surfers - AmpSurf. I want to help people like our good
FURiend, Julie (AKA One Legged Jo)." She helped mom a LOT during the
fear/anxiety stage of her open heart surgery. She shared details of her
experience with cancer & losing part of her pelvis and right leg to a
hemipelvectomy due to cancer. She is one of the bravest, most inspirational
people we know... I'm so lucky I get to surf with her at AmpSurf clinics!
For more information on this fundraiser,
click here.
Reality Rally
was a three-day weekend event intended to raise funds forMichelle's
Place, a resource center where women can go for help in coping
with the challenges of breast cancer.
Teams
consisting of
Reality Stars and the
public who wanted to play a 4-hour "Amazing Race" kind of game,
raced throughout Temecula, California in a
competition involving crazy activities and fun challenges, all for
the coveted trophy, cash prizes, and most importantly raising funds
for Michelle's Place.
When I first heard about Reality Rally, I thought
it'd be fun to participate on a team. But, after meeting with
Gillian, the creator and Rally Master, she thought I'd serve the
rally better by being a Reality Rally spokesdog. I'm honored because
the word "reality" means so much to me, as I've seen so many dreams
become reality with the fundraising and inspirational work I do.
I was thrilled to be part of this "reality"... that benefited Michelle's Place.
For more information on this fundraiser,
click here.
I'm encouraging people all over the world
to help raise funds and awareness for Target's Bunker so a tidal wave of
support is created!
Target saved the lives
of many soldiers in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber walked into a Border
Patrol compound. Target, along with two other stray dogs,
attacked the bomber.
Despite the bombing... she survived. SGT Terry Young adopted Target, and
brought her back to live with him in Arizona. One Friday afternoon, Target
got out of the yard, and ended up in a shelter. Tragically, by Monday
morning, she was erroneously euthanized. Target's Bunker has been formed
with the hope of keeping another tragedy like Target's from happening ever
again.
Me & Rina worked a kissing booth for
Pet Hide-away to
benefit
SNAP - Spay Neuter Action Project. For just $1.00 (or multiples of)
people were able to get a virtual kiss from us! Click this
link to watch our video clip & get your virtual kiss!
On January 7th, I was contacted by USA Today, and
told I was one of five nominees in "the Most Heroic Dog of 2010". I
was excited, and honored. I started asking my supporters to
vote for me, but quickly started feeling awkward about it... like it
just wasn't right.
That's because one of the other nominees was Target. And,
Target deserves this title... she IS this title! So, rather than
continue to ask my supporters for their votes, I decided to ask
Target's dad, SGT Terry Young, what I could do to celebrate Target's
life & help raise awareness of HER cause.
Target saved the lives of many soldiers in Afghanistan, only to lose
hers by being erroneously euthanized by an officer at Pinal County
Animal Care and Control in Arizona. Her cause is
Target's Bunker formed with the hope of keeping another tragedy
like Target's from happening ever again. This no kill shelter
will use every means available to save as many animals as possible.
For more information on this fundraiser,
click here.
On,
January 3rd, I was invited to "speak" at Mt. Helix Academy
in La Mesa, California's
Roots & Shoots
program at a local school. The Roots & Shoots program is
part of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is about
making positive change happen—for our communities, for animals and for the
environment. With tens of thousands of young people in almost 100 countries,
the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to
create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and
take action.
The kids asked for my help with a blanket
and towel drive for Helen Woodward Animal
Center, and they named it... Snuggie Pup!!
For the month of January, they will be taking donations of
new, or lightly used blankets and towels for the dogs and cats at Helen
Woodward. Then, at the beginning of February, they'll take a field trip,
with me to deliver the blankets and towels to the animals!! Click here
for more information!
Yup, Santa Paws surfed to town again! I had so much fun during
my 2009 Surfin' Santa Paws Toy Drive that I had to do it again!.
In 2009, you helped me raise $3550 and 639 kids received toys for
Christmas! This year, I wanted to raise more, and boy, did we ever!
Natural Balance had a casting call
for dogs who could skimboard and/or dock jump for their 2011 Rose
Bowl Float. I tried out, and was called back for the
semi-finals, but didn't do so well on the call-back, so wasn't
chosen. Natural Balance, very generously gave all the
semi-finalists 6 months of free dog coupons. I wanted to paw it
forward, and gave one coupon to each of these shelters/rescues so
they would have food for the animals. Thank you, Natural
Balance for the opportunity and helping me help others!
On October 17, 2010, Rina and I participated in the
3 Dog Walk for breast cancer, sponsored by DogTown San Diego and the Three
Dog Bakery.
Breast cancer is a widespread
and random disease, striking women and men of all ages and races. It is
the most prevalent cancer in the world today, with about 1.3 million
people diagnosed annually. The exact cause of the disease is unknown,
and at this time, there is no cure.
But there is hope! Through research, we
can fight this disease. With the help of our donors and supporters, we were
the top fundraisers! The prize was an overnight stay at the
L'auberge Seaside Resort & Spa. We donated the prize back to Susan
G. Komen, so they could provide the stay to a woman currently in treatment
that could use a stress free get-a-way.
My friend Tamandra has
spina bifida, and uses a wheelchair. The wheelchair she had
was dangerous due to a poor fit. She often fell out of her chair
because it lurched forward. Then, the
unthinkable happened... the
frame snapped in half, and it slammed
her into the sidewalk very hard.
She often flipped over backwards because of the configuration, and the
last time, she ended up with staples in her head.
When I heard the pawful details, I knew I
HAD to do something!! So, I contacted
TiLite.
They make custom wheelchairs completely to the individual's specifications!!
I shared my SURFice dog video with them, and explained how I try to paw it
forward by helping others. They immediately wanted to help too!
They donated a custom chair for Tamandra!!! Now, I don't have to worry
about her anymore!
I can't thank TiLite enough for becoming
one of my donors, and making a HUGE difference in Tamandra's life.
Mom said she
made one good decision in my life, allowing
me to "be" who I truly
am. She wanted me
to help one person with a disability, as a service dog. But, once
she let go of her
expectations, it became crystal clear that I
wanted to help millions! She is now committed
to facilitating MY mission and journey.
Due to mom's physical issues,
I wouldn't be able to fulfill the surfing part
of my SURFice dog role without the amazing
people who help in the water. Most of these folks also volunteer with
several adaptive surfing organizations.
So, rather than a birthday wish or gift, mom wanted
to honor all these selfless people through a donation to
one of the organizations below:
Association of Amputee Surfers Helen Woodward Animal Center Ocean Healing Group
Pets for Patriots Surfers Healing
Wheels 2 Water
Mom says thank you for granting her birthday
wish!
Finnley was born with brain damage due
to oxygen being cut off to her brain. She was only expected to live one
to 72 hours. But 2 1/2 years later... she is a miracle! Her brain damage
caused cerebral palsy, seizures, and vision impairment. She's not
able to walk or talk right now, but loves classical music! She also
finds great joy in the water. Her cerebral palsy tightens her muscles,
but when she's in a pool, she's able to move her arms and legs. Her
parents want to get a therapeutic swimming pool, but it costs $11,000!
So, I held a fundraiser to help Finley get the
pool she needed! To see a video of Finley in a pool,
click here.
To read more about Finley, check out her
blog
Click here to
see my amazing donors for this fundraiser
I contacted Endless Pools, and shared my SURFice dog
video & Finnley's story, they immediately wanted to get involved in the
project. They gave me a significant special needs discount off the $11,400 price!!!
WOOF WOO! So with the funds my donors helped me raise & the discount
Endless Pools gave, the family only had to come up with $2560, which they had already raised with their own
fundraisers.
Thank you, Endless Pools, you are absolutely PAWMAZING!
I can't thank you enough for making Finnley's extra-ordinary miracle come
true!
On September 12, 2010, I surfed in the Helen
Woodward Animal Center's Surf Dog Surf-a-thon. This event was held to
raise funds and awareness for orphaned animals, while promoting responsible
pet ownership.
In 2009, I won 2nd place overall in the surf contest,
but this year, my goal was to be the top fundraiser and win 1st place in
donations! That would be the best prize ever!!
I did end up being the top fundraiser for
2010, but not only that... I raised more money than any individual
fundraiser in the whole five years the contest has been in existence.
Thank you to my donors for helping me raise $3035!!
I was a charity partner with the
Surf City Surf Dog
surf contest on September 19th, 2010 in Huntington Beach, and
Chase Away K9
Cancer was my beneficiary.
I surfed the event in memory of Chase, and all my
other friends who lost their battle to cancer. Most importantly, I
raised awareness and funds for canine cancer.
One in 4 dogs die of cancer, and many others will get
very, very sick from the effects of cancer. Sadly, an estimated 50
percent of all dogs will die of this disease... together we can make a
difference!
My good friends at
Ocean Healing Group provide
once in a lifetime sports adventures in Costa Rica
to wheelchair bound kids. There's a little dog named
Lady, who hangs out with the kids on the beach & camp. In April of
2010, she suddenly lost use of both her back legs. They think something
may have fallen from a tree onto her back (they're in the jungle!).
The xray showed a lesion on her spine. At first she was in a lot of
pain, and spent a week at the hospital. But she no longer seems to be in
pain, but drags herself all around.
She ended up with a spinal cord injury just like many of
the kids at the camp, so
it's pretty ironic that Lady suffered one too.
When I heard about Lady, I wanted to do something right
away! So, I contact the most amazing folks at
Eddie's
Wheels, and they donated a doggie wheel chair for Lady!
Now, Lady will be able to hang out with the kids on the
beach once again. Check back for pictures of Lady in her new
chair!!
Thank you so much, Eddie & Leslie... you are PAWMAZING!!
Arthritis is a serious and debilitating
disease that affects both humans and dogs. One in 5 adults, and
over 300,000 children suffer with arthritis pain every day.Arthritis is one of the most common health problems a dog will face.In fact at least 1 in 5 dogs will develop this debilitating disease. I
was the 2nd top fundraiser for the arthritis walk, and the top
fundraiser with the
Leash Your
Fitness with Kima Team. Thank you donors!
Please click here to
learn more about my arthritis campaign
Blog Paws, an
online resource for bloggers created an initiative called
Be the Change for Pets. From July
19 through July 31st, they held a pet food drive, asking people to
donate a bag of pet food to a their local shelter. My sponsor,
canidae pet foods
donated 354 lbs of food on my behalf.
Canine cancer claims the lives of one in four dogs. Many more
suffer its terrible effects. Most of us have either loved or know
someone who loved a dog with cancer. Together we can cure this
disease! I virtually walked for the Morris Foundations
Canine Cancer Walk while I was injured.
Please click here to learn more
about this fundraiser
Ian, a six year old boy who suffered a
traumatic brain injury in a tragic car accident that
claimed the lives of his parents. Ian used to surf with his daddy,
but was scared to get back on a board after the
accident. That was... until me! Now he even likes wiping out!
I held a fundraiser for him to help offset the costs of all his
therapies.
I won a years supply of Dogswell dog food at the
Dogswell Wag Awards,
for "Most charitable story". I donated it to the Helen Woodward Animal Center's
AniMeals program.
When the 2009 doggie surf season ended, I traded my life
jacket for a santa jacket, and transformed myself into a Surfin' Santa
Paws!! From December 1st to 18th, I led a toy drive to benefit Rady
Children's Hospital in San Diego, Hurley's Living The Dream Foundation,
and CHOC Children's Hospital in Orange County, plus two women's
shelters.
Click here
for more info on this fundraiser.
THANKS TO MY DONORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, 638 CHILDREN RECEIVED TOYS
From August to November, 2009 I fundraised for Patrick Ivison,
a 15 year old boy who suffered a spinal cord injury when he he was run over by a
car, and pinned underneath. He has used a wheelchair ever since.
Donations supported his "Help Patrick Walk" fund which helped pay the costs of
his ongoing treatment at Project Walk, an intense physical therapy program.
Patrick's dream is to walk across the stage at his high school graduation.
Paw-ABUNGA FOR PATRICK (Service dog fund)
Also during August - November, 2009, I fundraised for Patrick's service dog
named Kona from Pawsitive Teams.
Kona helps Patrick in his quest to become more independent, and helps
him in his day-to-day life activities.
THANKS TO MY DONORS, PATRICK'S SERVICE DOG HAS BEEN PAID
FOR!!
SURFIN'
TO CHASE AWAY K9 CANCER
SPOKESDOG
& FUNDRAISER
FOR REALITY RALLY, BENEFITING MICHELLE'S PLACE
IAN WILL SURF AGAIN!
