Gnome Surf

This Giving Tuesday: Be the Wave of Change!

Dear beloved community, At Gnome Surf, we’ve been riding an incredible wave of community, inclusion, acceptance, love, and kindness for athletes of all abilities. In just six short years, our journey has transformed from 400 surf sessions in summer 2019 to an astounding 10,000 sessions this past summer!

This growth is a testament to the magic we create together, but with this joy comes a pressing need for continued support. This year, we are reaching out to you, our cherished donors and believers, to help us keep the magic alive. Your contributions empower us to do more than just surf therapy; they enable us to create safe spaces where athletes can come as they are and truly be themselves. It’s a home where they dream big, feel supported, welcomed, and most importantly, thrive. ‍

Our focus on the social and emotional well-being of our athletes is unwavering. We understand that a family-centric approach creates ripple effects that improve the lives of not just our athletes, but their entire families. This Giving Tuesday, we need your help to rise to the challenge and continue this essential work. Our adaptive surf equipment costs $30,000 a year, and every year demands renewal to ensure safety and include every athlete, no matter their challenges. We hope to hire staff in order to better meet the needs of our Athletes, in addition to providing more free opportunities for surf therapy to underserved athletes, For this reason we are aiming for 200 Donors by Christmas Day and overall goal of $55,000. Together, we can create life-changing experiences for thousands of kids who rely on Gnome Surf.

We refuse to leave any athlete behind because of the severity of their condition. We vow to uphold the true value of inclusion – every child deserves access to the healing power of the ocean. With your support, we can develop state-of-the-art adaptive equipment and add the staff needed to facilitate epic experiences for every athlete and allocate more funding to free access to surf therapy for underserved youth.

Join our tribe this Giving Tuesday. Together, as part of our Ohana, we can be the wave of change, ensuring social and emotional well-being for all kids of all abilities. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in our athletes. Your support means the world to them, and we are proud to call you a part of our tribe. ‍

Together, let’s keep the magic alive! With love and gratitude, The Gnome Surf Family.

We ask you BE THE WAVE OF CHANGE THIS GIVING SEASON!

#GivingTuesday #GnomeSurf #InclusionMatters #JoinTheWave #BeTheChange

‍This Giving Tuesday, let's ride the wave of generosity for GNOME Surf! ‍

We're not just a surf therapy organization, we're a family of over 5000 athletes and their loved ones who have found solace, strength, and joy in the healing power of the ocean. But we need YOUR help to keep the tide rolling!

This Giving Tuesday, we're setting a goal of $25,000. With a matching pledge from our corporate partners, we can double our impact and bring surf therapy to another 5000 families. We don't ask for much, but we do need the support of our GNOME family to make this happen.

The cost of providing a surf therapy session for Gnome Surf between paying for staff, equipment, permits, and insurance costs is roughly just under $100/session to our organization. With our partner match, each $50 donation will provide life-altering surf therapy to a child in need. Reaching our goal will provide 500 families with a scholarship for a free surf session at a Happy Camp or individual session. Every year we have to spend over $20,000 on new surfboards alone, as we are not able to use the boards year after year due to the damage and amount of lessons each board sees every summer. Every $250 donated, with our partner match will provide one new surfboard for our Athletes to use. This year we are developing a mounted chair for our Athletes with mobility challenges as they grow it is more and more difficult to simply tandem surf. This chair device will cost $5,000, 10 donors at $500 each will make this a reality. We need more wheelchairs, as we have grown and have multiple athletes with mobility challenges needing beach-friendly wheelchairs to ensure proper access to programs, each chair costs north of $2,500. Basically, we humbly ask for your help in keeping up with the growing needs of our Special Athletes.

We're calling on you to rise to the challenge! Create a crowdfunding team, start a Facebook fundraiser, or share our GoFundMe link. Every wave of support counts! And here's a bonus: any team that raises $500 or more will be entered to win a dreamy surf trip to Costa Rica in 2025!

This Giving Tuesday, remember GNOME Surf in your year-end giving strategies. Together, we can make a splash and change lives, one wave at a time. Believe in Inclusion, Believe in Community, Believe in proper Mental Health as well as Social Emotional Wellbeing, Believe in our Athletes, and Give the Gift of Love by donating and Believing in our Athletes as a part of your year-end giving strategy.

Surf Therapy is much more than surfing, it is a Community built on Inclusion, a Safe Space facilitated by Kindness, its a Support System fueled by Compassion. At Gnome Surf, we surf with over 3,000 kids a season offering an innovative intervention that focuses on both physical and mental health as well as, the emotional well-being of our Athletes. We surf with all kids with a concentration on Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety.

Through our research, we found that over 98% of our Athletes at Gnome Surf are feeling Happier and over 93% are feeling more self-confident. Today, we ask you to Join our Family, by believing in our Athletes and donating to our Mission of Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, and Acceptance for all kids of all abilities. Today, on GivingTuesday, your donation will have 2x the IMPACT.

Without donors like you, none of the Magic created on the waves is possible. We THANK YOU in advance for being a part of our Family and helping create this magical safe space for our Athletes and their families.

Gratefully,

Chris Antao

Executive Director/Founder

Gnome Surf