Project Surf Camp: a Volunteers Perspective
By Anna Denham, PSC Volunteer
(Paul and Katie are taking a summer break this month. This article on Project Surf Camp was originally run in 2011. Read the one from 2012 here. If you're interested in getting involved In project Surf Camp, it runs until August 10 at Coleman Beach in Morro Bay. They usually have a few spots open for campers and always can use volunteers.)
For the past four years Paul and I have been working alongside Project Surf Camp. Project surf camp is a local non profit organization, based out of Morro Bay, that works with kids with special needs and teaches them to surf. They have specialist on hand and in the water that are professionally trained in special education. PSC also has many volunteers come out every year to come along side each child. (We have written in the past about Project Surf Camp, you can read that article here: June 2011) This time, we wanted to have a local who volunteered last year with camp write about her experience.
This year we are starting a child sponsorship program. We would love local residents and businesses to come out and support PSC financially and with their time! If you want more information, please get in touch with us at (805)235-1157 or via email.
A Volunteers Perspective
I've heard it said that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. It is when you take that plunge into the unknown and find that you have not only survived the fall, but that your small world has been blown wide open to new and amazing possibilities. I recently took just such a headlong leap when I volunteered with Project Surf Camp.
As a wife and a mother to four, I dwell in a family of surfers. I am the one who holds down the fort on the beach taking pictures while providing snacks and towels. I find peace in being at the seaside and gazing upon the beauty of the ocean, but have never had a strong pull to dip into it's chilly depths. While my husband and children have volunteered before with PSC, this was my first time.
When I arrived at Project Surf Camp, the first thing I noticed was the energy in the air. It was truly electric. This would be expected of the campers, thrilled about a day of playing in the ocean with one-on-one attention. What surprised me was the tangible energy I felt from the staff. The same staff had been doing two camps a day for weeks prior and yet here they were, full of enthusiasm as if it were the first camp of the summer.
Once we got to the beach I got paired up with Paige, a sweet, 18 year-old girl. She was delighted to be there and we happily jumped over waves together. I was touched by the immediate trust she placed in me, giving me her hand and following my lead. However, when I asked her if she would like to try and ride a surf board she was nervous and said no. Which was fine with me — I was there to give her my time in any form that it took. After a while, Will, one of the amazing PSC staff memebers, came along and tenderly guided Paige onto a board. It became apparent to me that she had really wanted to do this the whole time but needed the guidance. The thrill of joy that came over her face as she was launched into her first wave makes me tear up even now as I write this. To share a small part in that monumental moment was something that will stay with me forever.
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Paige rode wave after wave, always reaching for my hand as she was placed on the board, her eyes searching out mine when the ride was over so I could share in her triumph. The staff was remarkable! The amount of energy that they expended on these children was astonishing. They were always positive, caring, and kind. I could tell that they passionately loved what they were doing and that working with these kids is where their hearts lie.
It was a beautiful experience to share with my family — looking over to see my husband and children all working with sweet campers. It is a rare thing for a family to be able to volunteer together, to give our time as a team and to reap the benefits as a whole. As our children grow older, the common things we can do together grow fewer with the years, so this was a wonderful opportunity to share as a family.
It wasn't very much that I gave, just a few hours. But what I received in return has no measure. The feeling of doing some small good in the life of a child has no equal. I was blessed beyond what can be written here by my time with Project Surf Camp. I left my warm and comfy beach chair behind in the name of a precious child. There will always be rationals and excuses to remain within the confines of the easy and safe. However, once you cross the divide into the unknown you will find the hand of a child waiting to walk beside you on your journey to freedom.
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