Dear friends,

Everyone knows Mickey as the cool surf coach with the tattoos, but for many of you (and for us), he has become much more than that. Mickey is a gifted surf and snowboard instructor, but more notably, behind that tough guy exterior is someone who cares deeply about the people/kids he works with. This is evidenced by the special relationships and trust he has developed with them. For our family and others I know, Mickey has become more like family, helping take care of our kids, picking them up/dropping them off, house-sitting, dog-sitting, and other jobs we need a dependable, trustworthy person to do. Mickey always offers to spend his time doing these favors and doesn’t expect payment in return.

As some of you may know, Mickey just lost his mom to cancer. His entire family lives in England, which has made it difficult to see them as often as he’d like, especially while his mom was ill. He was grateful to have been able to visit in August to celebrate his sister’s wedding and spend some time with his mom. Sadly, he was not able to make it back before his mom passed away.

In light of this devastating loss, Mickey, of course, needs to return to England to grieve with his family and honor his mom at her memorial service.

I have created this fundraiser to support Mickey so he can fly back to England and not have to worry about the financial burden of the expensive travel and the income he will be losing while he’s away. Mickey would also like to help his dad pay for funeral costs with any remaining funds, as his dad was only able to work minimally while he took care of his wife.

Those who know Mickey, know how unassuming he is. He was resistant to this idea because he would never want anyone to feel pressured or obligated to him. There is absolutely no obligation or expectation to contribute to Mickey, but I wanted to offer an opportunity to contribute for anyone who is looking for a way to support him during this time.

I appreciate your consideration and I know Mickey is so grateful for all of your kind thoughts and gestures.