August 22, 2004
Two Dreams, One Boat Ride by Surfermag.com correspondent Alex Wilson
Wave of Compassion (WOC), the charity organization created to help raise money for Surf Aid International (SAI), has been working for months on a fundraising campaign that might be just as beneficial to the donators, as it is for those who will receive the fruits of their support. The organization, with the help of a multitude of sponsors from within the surf industry, has scheduled a 10 day boat trip through the Mentawais, which will not only include mind blowing surf, but will also allow those on board an opportunity to visit the Mentawai people in their own villages and environments, an aspect typically absent from most boat charters that cruise the island chain.
With a goal of raising $100,000 to benefit SAI, a WOC sweepstakes is currently underway offering donators a shot at winning an all expenses paid dream trip for two on board the M.V. Midas, a luxury yacht operated by the Saraina Koat Mentawai surf charter group. It's hard to imagine the surfer who wouldn't be enticed to throw down some change, help a fantastic cause, and earn themselves the opportunity be selected to go on the boat trip of a life time, one that will be laden with pros, surf journalists, photographers, and camera equipment. As the sweepstake's 12:00 a.m. September 13th deadline approaches, WOC has announced several interesting developments in this continuously evolving story....... Click here to read more.
August 11, 2004
24/7 Action Sports Net FUEL TV to cover Surf Aid International's “Wave of Compassion” Sweepstakes Fundraiser & Dream Boat Trip
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If you thought that winning a dream boat trip to the Mentawai Islands with four of the best surfers in the world and an elite Surfer Magazine editorial crew in the name of charity was the best thing that could ever happen to you, think again.
FUEL TV, a staunch supporter of Surf Aid International and their humanitarian objectives in the Mentawai Islands through Surf Aid's “Adopt a Village” sponsorship program, has literally jumped onboard to cover Wave of Compassion for an upcoming one-hour television special to air exclusively on FUEL . Hooking up the action sports crowd, “ FUEL 's 54321 Weekly Update” will also cover the Surf Aid fundraiser Liquid Nation Ball in San Diego on Saturday, September 11.
Besides being one of the key figures in the corresponding Surfer Magazine article covered by legendary Surfer Magazine writer Steve Barilotti, photographer Jeff Divine, and Surfermag.com guru Scott Bass; one lucky winner will now have acclaimed surfing videographers Sonny Miller and Justin Krumb capturing on film every surfing success and failure of the trip.
Wave of Compassion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the everyday surfer to make history. One grand prize winner from the USA will win an all expense paid boat trip with Quiksilver's Strider Wasilewski, Reef's Ben Bourgeois, Billabong's David Rastovich, Saraina Koat Mentawai's Jason Bogle, and Surfer Magazine on a surf/cultural expedition to the Mentawai Islands for 10 days. The grand prize winner may bring one friend, spouse or partner to accompany them on the trip.
For more information how you can possibly become a part of history and support a great cause, please visit Surf Aid International's “Wave of Compassion” website: www.waveofcompassion.org . With your support –everybody wins!
About FUEL TV
In a word, FUEL is action sports on TV. All right - that was six words, but you get the picture: 24/7 surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, motocross and wakeboarding television. Visit us at www.fuel.tv or call 1(877) 4FUELTV to get hook't up with FUEL today.
Contacts: Anthony Marcotti, SAI , 714-478-2487 / Kelsey Martinez, FUEL , 310-286-3881
August 4, 2004
Wave of Compassion Opens Up One More Slot on Dream Boat Trip
If you visited the Wave of Compassion website in July and tried to make a donation you might have received an error message stating our account was “offline.” If this was you, we apologize, but there is a reasonable explanation.
Regrettably, during this time, we were inundated with $500 transactions from stolen credit cards by a modern day internet Robin Hood. All in all, that might not seem like the worst thing that could happen but it was. Besides causing a logistical nightmare to get the situation resolved and $20,000 back into honest people's accounts our inability to process legitimate donations has probably been a frustrating experience for some of the 3,000 people who visited our site during that time and attempted to make a donation to enter to win the grand prize trip.
Our loss might be your gain. As a result of this unfortunate circumstance and the loss of three valuable weeks of fundraising time we've decided to auction off one more space on the Wave of Compassion trip to the highest bidder. If you're interested in securing a spot on the Wave of Compassion October boat trip and would like to make a bid please e-mail event coordinator, Anthony Marcotti at info@mentawaiislands.com or call 714.478.2487.
The grand prize winner and the highest bidder in the auction will be announced September 11, 2004 at the Liquid Nation fundraiser party benefiting Surf Aid.
Please visit www.waveofcompassion.org for more information. With your support – everybody wins!
August 4, 2004
Wave of Compassion Monthly Prize Winners
With the help and support of Surfer Magazine, Surfline, Surfshot, and the Surfer's Path Magazine: Surf Aid International is proud to announce the first set of prize winners in our “Wave of Compassion” monthly prize giveaway. We've had a tremendously positive response from people all over the United States , your generosity and participation in the Wave of Compassion Dream Boat Trip Sweepstakes is definitely appreciated! This July we gave away the following items:
Congratulations to all of our winners and special thanks to Surfer Magazine, Surfline, Surfshot, and the Surfer's Path for allowing us to give away such cool prizes.
Our next set of monthly prizes before we choose a grand prize winner for the trip is shaping up to be another classic. Once again we're giving away five Surfer Magazine subscriptions, but the rest of the items are brand new. Here's a quick look at our monthly prizes for August.
For more information about our monthly prizes or information about the grand prize, all expense paid trip with Strider Wasilewski , Ben Bourgeois, David Rastovich, Jason Bogle , and Surfer Magazine on a surf/cultural expedition to the Mentawai Islands for 10 days please visit www.waveofcompassion.org . Good luck!
A "Wave of Compassion" Lets Everyday Surfer Make History
San Clemente, CA (May 15, 2004). Wave of Compassion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the everyday surfer to make history by donating to a non-profit cause benefiting the Mentawai Islands community in Indonesia. One grand prize winner will score an all expense paid boat trip to the Mentawai Islands with well-known surfers Strider Wasilewski, Ben Bourgeois, David Rastovich, Jason Bogle, and Surfer Magazine on a surf/cultural expedition for 10 days. The grand prize winner may bring one friend, spouse or partner to accompany them on the trip.
Through the help and support of Surfer Magazine, Quiksilver, Reef, Billabong, Saraina Koat Mentawai, and a multitude of additional supporters, this event's ultimate goal is to raise funds for Surf Aid International, a non-profit corporation. Surf Aid International's overall mission is to promote health and social programs throughout the Mentawai Islands community and to encourage and coordinate the support of the global surfing community.
The Mentawai people are some of the most impoverished on the planet. Basic items such as clean water and sanitation are practically non-existent making general health conditions predictably abysmal. In some areas 50% of children will die before the age of five, and 65% of Mentawai families have lost at least one child (PRA data - UNESCO, Yayasan Citra Mandiri 2000-2001). Regrettably, almost all of these childhood deaths are from preventable and treatable diseases such as measles, tetanus, malaria, and diarrhea.
The Wave of Compassion (WOC) experience will include an upriver visit to a Mentawai village to learn about the Mentawai people and their culture. The crew will visit with Surf Aid's founder, Dr. Dave Jenkins, to witness and participate in Surf Aid's frontline efforts to combat malaria and disease on the islands. And of course, the winning surfers will have their mind utterly altered by 10 days of perfect surf—with four of the best surfers on the planet giving them pointers. The sponsored surfers' involvement in this event will undoubtedly establish a benchmark for future goodwill efforts in the Mentawai Islands and beyond.
"Wave of Compassion reflects the global surfing community's increasing awareness of the need to give back. " said Dr. Dave Jenkins, Chairman and Medical Director for Surf Aid International , "and we're pleased to demonstrate how creatively it can be done."
This event will run from May to September when the grand prize winner will be announced. In addition to the grand prize trip, a variety of prizes will be given away on monthly basis to keep things interesting. Please visit www.waveofcompassion.org for event information, updates, information about Surf Aid International and the Mentawai Islands, and the official rules and regulations governing this fundraiser. With your support - everybody wins!
Website: www.waveofcompassion.org
