The Marine Mammal Center Participates in Safe Seas 2006

Oil spill response and readiness exercises increase disaster preparedness.


Sausalito, CA (PRWEB) August 9, 2006 -- Today, The Marine Mammal Center, along with local, state and federal agencies, will participate in Safe Seas 2006 – an oil spill response and readiness exercise that takes place in the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries waters near San Francisco. The goal of Safe Seas 2006 is to demonstrate techniques and technologies used to protect marine and coastal resources and to develop individual skills in contingency planning and emergency response in the event of an oil spill disaster at sea. The three-day disaster drill, lead by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is the largest of its kind to be held in U.S. waters. The Marine Mammal Center will respond to simulated oiled marine mammals because of a hypothetical massive oil spill 12 miles off the San Francisco coast.

“We are the only marine mammal rescue unit between Mendocino County and San Luis Obispo County that is ready to respond to stranding emergency response events involving marine mammals," said Shelbi Stoudt, Stranding Manager at The Marine Mammal Center. "We take these drills very seriously and see them as a way to improve our own response protocols.”

Participants will respond to a scenario involving a collision of a bulk-freight cargo ship arriving in to San Francisco Bay, with that of a barge, resulting in 300,000 gallons of oil to spill into The Bay. Thousands of multicolored, biodegradable drift cards will be disbursed to represent oil making its way to shore. The Marine Mammal Center’s stranding and rescue team will patrol beaches at Crissy Field, Baker Beach and Fort Funston to look for these cards as part of its protocol in locating marine mammals that have stranded on beaches. The simulated disaster outlined would threaten the Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, and the economic and ecological resources dependant on San Francisco Bay.

More than 300 people from multiple agencies will participate in drill, training, field operations, oceanographic surveys, and incident command post activities. The agencies participating include NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force Reserve, Marine Spill Response Corporation, Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and Bodega Marine Laboratory.

The Safe Seas 2006 exercises also provided an opportunity to refresh skills through educational short courses. Dr. Frances Gulland, Director of Veterinary Science at The Marine Mammal Center, Dr. Mike Zaccardi with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, and Dr. Teri Rowles with NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, taught courses involving protocols in wildlife capture and care during an oil spill response. They also outlined techniques and guidelines in handling live and dead wildlife with infectious diseases.

About The Marine Mammal Center
Headquartered in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Sausalito, California, The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit hospital dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals, and to the research of their health and diseases. Volunteers and staff have treated more than 12,000 California sea lions, elephant seals, porpoises, and other marine mammals, along 600-miles of coastline stretching from Mendocino County to San Luis Obispo County. Staff and volunteers uniquely combine rehabilitation with scientific discovery and education programs to advance the understanding of marine mammal health, ocean health and conservation.
On the web: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/

Plant Trees Worldwide in a Click -- Adoptree.Com is Pioneering an Entertaining Ecological Online Service

Adoptree.com is a new and adventurous endeavor that began in August 2006 in Russia, at Lake Baikal. It offers any Internet user worldwide the opportunity to name a tree, have it planted near the lake and to track its further life for ages on a regular basis.

Irkutsk, Russia (PRWEB) August 15, 2006 -- StartingthisAugust,athttp://www.adoptree.com/, you can have a tree planted near Lake Baikal in Siberia and then receive regular updates on its growth. This new enterprise provides fruitful experience for people of all ages worldwide who love nature,innovation, and fun. Adoptree.com is a project pursued by a group of creative individuals from Siberia -- graduates of Irkutsk State University.

The idea is to create a global Adoptree.com community involved in creation and development of international parks in all parts of the world. Their first spot is Lake Baikal, which is known for having the cleanest water and is the deepest lake in the world.

A visitor of the website first chooses a tree of the local flora. The tree might be even the one from The Red Book. Botanists then plant it on the territory of Lake Baikal resorts and set a named plaque nearby. The designated person receives a certificate by snail mail and regular reports and photos by e-mail. He or she may visit the tree someday and enjoy extra items and services, provided by adoptree.com.

Dmitry Germanov, the leader of adoptree.com project, says, "What we actually want is simply to help people be closer to amazing natural places worldwide,and provide them with up-to-date tools for favourable environment development and change. Tree planting is a true care of nature and unique online experience as well!

"Adoptree.com's aim is a global project offering ecological, educational, and thrilling adventure for the community via perpetual innovation, growth, and relationship building.

About Exotic-City LTD:
The company pursuing Adoptree.com was founded by a group of creative students and their instructor in e-commerce. Started as a course work project, it has since become their primary business and concern.

GOOD SCHOOL ATTENDANCE EARNS CAMBODIAN SIXTH GRADERS

PEPY, an adventure cycle tour and humanitarian aid organization, announces the launch of its Bike-to-School Program, giving bicycles to students in Cambodia who have shown a commitment to education through high attendance rates. “Over the course of many school visits on our Cambodian cycle tours, we learned that after elementary school, students were often unable to continue on to secondary school due to the long distances they had to travel to attend classes. We researched more and found that rural students are 60% more likely to attend secondary school if their family owns a bike. The Bike-to-School Program is PEPY’s way of helping keep bright kids in school,” said PEPY Ride co-founder, Daniela Papi.

Since 2005 PEPY has been bringing travelers to places they may have only visited in dreams, giving people a chance to intimately experience the beauty of Cambodia’s people and nature as they ride through rural villages like the locals do, on a bicycle. Now, with the help of its Bike-to-School program, PEPY hopes to further extend the reach of its educational contributions. Each $100 donation buys more than a bicycle, it buys a life-changing opportunity for a motivated student. “By encouraging more students to continue their education through high school, the Bike-to-School program is a real opportunity to help communities break the cycle of poverty,” says Daniela.

Many people donate money to support development projects they will never visit, but with PEPY, people can go where their money goes. In the past year, over 80 travelers from 14 countries have visited the organization’s first project, The PEPY Ride School, and enjoyed supporting educational and building projects.

Travelers love seeing first hand the difference they can make when they visit a developing country: former rider Julia Davies, age 33, said after PEPY Ride experience: "This trip has been invigorating, gritty, and fun. It is amazing to think we touched over 2,000 lives at the schools we visited along the way. There is something to be said for the satisfaction of arriving at your destination, tired, dirty and happy. The highlight for me was the combination of team spirit, camaraderie and adventure that developed while connecting with the people in Cambodia.”

PEPY’s tours provide travelers and locals with life-changing experiences. Each adventure trip fee includes a separate, tax deductible, donation fee that supports the ongoing humanitarian projects in Cambodia visited on the tour. Itineraries range from high intensity multi-week cycle trips to week-long volunteer projects focusing on a specific developing area. Each trip is designed to introduce participants to development work in Cambodia and provide an exciting, authentic experience of Cambodian culture and hospitality.

For more information, to make a donation, or to sign up for any of the upcoming volunteer trips, please visit www.pepyride.org. To donate funds in support of this trip, please visit www.firstgiving.com/pepyride.

The PEPY Ride is a New York State registered Non-for-Profit Corporation founded in 2005 to support educational projects in developing countries and disaster relief areas with a focus on the relationship between the environment and our health. Emphasizing education through action, where participants both learn from and give back to the communities they visit, PEPY Tours organizes volunteer and adventure travel in developing countries and redevelopment areas suffering from natural disasters.

This Holiday Season, Give a Precious Gift

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA - Every holiday season we are overwhelmed with possibilities. Should we give iPods to the ones we love, jewelry, clothes,music or movies? But what if this year, you gave a truly special gift!Nothing you could hold in your hand, but something that touched the heart.

Relief Riders International (RRI), a pioneer in VolunTourism, offers a unique combination of exotic travel through Rajasthan in rural India with the opportunity to transform the lives of its participants and the lives of those we visit. Winner of Outside Magazine's Best Trips of 2005, RRI is a leader in humanitarian travel.

We know there are many, many thousands of people who for many reasons cannot ride with us on our extraordinary Marwari horses through the stunning scenery of the Thar Desert. But this holiday season, we ask that you join us in a very special way by supporting our charitable missions.

On every trip, our riders stop to set up medical camps for rural villagers,providing free cataract eye surgery, giving goats to families in need, and distributing school supplies to local children.

We have created two special programs that offer our supporters the opportunity to very simply change the lives of others.

For every $65 you contribute to our Give The Gift of Sight program, another person sees. For every $65 you contribute to our Give a Goat program,another family takes a step toward economic survival.

So how do these programs work? In 2005, we had a chance to witness the extraordinary work of one India's premier eye surgeons, Dr. V.K. Gupta. Dr. Gupta has more than 25 years experience and has performed over 7000 successful operations.

We resolved then and there to set up eye surgery camps as part of our relief rides to Rajasthan. On February 11 - 26, 2006 we held our first "Give TheGift of Sight" clinic at the Primary Health Care Center in the village ofMehansar. 575 villagers with eye problems were screened on the first day ofthe eye clinic, and 87 patients qualified for and received sight-saving cataract eye surgery.

It is important to note that cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. They are responsible for 81% of blindness in India, and there are an estimated 20,000 blind people living in Rajasthan. In Third World countries like India, a blind person, without family support, has an incredibly short life expectancy of about three years. With your help RRI will do our very best to tackle this problem.

In addition to the eye surgery clinic, Relief Riders International Executive Director Alexander Souri and his support team from the Indian Red Cross set up camps to provide medical care to over 2,500 villagers. RRI, in coordination with a professional theater group, provided HIV/AIDS education program in two villages. Riders also distributed school supplies to 1200 children. And continuing its successful "Give A Goat Program," goats were distributed to 57 needy families.

You should know that we are directly involved in our relief campaigns. We are there at the health clinics, we help Dr. Gupta and his team examine his patients, we transport the goats and are there to deliver them to worthy families. There is no administrative waste; there is no bureaucracy. With this one-on-one, personal and authentic connection between RRI and the people of Rajasthan we now know we are making a substantial contribution to rural India. And it was because of this success that Mr. Souri was recently invited to meet with President Kallam of India to update him on RRI's humanitarian programs.

In June, 2006, RRI established a relationship with Documentary Educational Resource (DER.org) giving 501(c)(3) non-profit status to both its Give the Gift of Sight and Give a Goat programs.

Many people dream of making a difference; Relief Riders financial supporters do it each and every day.

As Alexander Souri, Executive Director of RRI noted: "Each holiday season we are reminded of the joys of giving. I promise that if you ride with us, or support our critically important work this holiday season in Rajasthan, you will give, and get back as much as you give."

Please make a charitable contribution now and forever change the lives of the villagers of Rajasthan.

For more information about the New Year's Relief Ride to Rajasthan, contact:

Relief Riders International
304 Main Street - Suite 3B
Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230
United States
(413) 329-5876
Email: info@reliefridersinternational.com

MEDIA CONTACT: Alexander Souri / 413.329.587

To contribute to the Give the Gift of Sight Program:
http://reliefridersinternational.com/sight.htm

To Contribute to the Give a Goat Program:
http://reliefridersinternational.com/goat.htm

Experiential Travel Meets Experiential Technology: Relief Rides Come Alive

Great Barrington, MA July 11, 2006 -- Pioneering humanitarian/adventure travel company Relief Riders International(RRI) has partnered with the innovative technology company, Dragonfly, to bring its Relief Rides to life via the internet. Click here to experience Relief Riders International's Dragonfly experience www.reliefriders.com

Integrating still images, text, and video from Relief Riders International's inspiring adventure trip through Rajasthan, India, the team has collaborated on a short, interactive storytelling movie that is easily emailed, and extremely easy to experience.

Relief Riders International leads guests on horseback through five villages in Rajasthan, India. As they travel the exotic landscapes of rural India, riders work with health care professionals to set up medical camps, help provide eye surgery, give livestock to poor families, and distribute school supplies to local students.

RRI and Dragonfly http://www.blogger.com/www.dragonfly.com are natural partners - each works at the leading edge of the business world creating important experiences for its customers. RRI performs a unique mission, blending a dynamic adventure travel experience with the opportunity to make life better for the people we visit. Distributing life-changing medical and education supplies in rural villages, every Relief Riders International tour provides a one-of-a-kind experience for our travelers. Similarly, Dragonfly's dynamic interactive media publishing platform allows its customers the opportunity to craft its own unique Dragonfly movie, a one-of-a-kind experience for its viewers.

As RRI Executive Director Alexander Souri notes, "The magic of our trip is that it inspires people who might not ordinarily consider themselves to be humanitarian volunteers to make a meaningful contribution not only to the villagers they meet, but to themselves. Our riders are transformed by their experiences. Dragonfly's system is as innovative as our trips. Together we have simply created a sophisticated movie that captures the Relief Ride experience. For a brief moment in time, from your home computer, you can join us in Rajasthan. Thanks to Dragonfly, we can reach adventurers from all walks of life, and inspire them to come to India with us."

Dragonfly President Guy Nouri said, "We're excited to add Relief Riders International to the Dragonfly family. Whether its Formula One racing or the Morgan Library or the Helen Keller Institute, we developed our unique Internet publishing platform to provide business and non-profit users the exciting opportunity to communicate their message in a new, fresh and compelling fashion. Each Dragonfly movie allows our clients and its viewers to be in complete control, acting as directors of their viewing experience."

For more information about Relief Riders International Please visit us on the web at: http://www.blogger.com/www.reliefriders.com

Flexible Volunteering Offers New Twist to Resume-Building for College Students

Resume-building is on the minds of many college students as they return to campus this fall. An impressive resume can give students the edge they need to get the job they desire in today's highly competitive marketplace. Volunteering can be key, but most students can't squeeze structured volunteer jobs into their overwhelming schedules. Flexible volunteering can be the answer.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) August 8, 2006 -- College students hoping to dazzle potential employers with an impressive resume (www.charityguide.org/volunteer/motivation/resume-building.htm) need to have an edge in today’s highly competitive marketplace. One way to get that edge is through flexible volunteering.

Most college students have exhausting schedules; between going to class, doing lab work, studying, working a part-time job, and getting the occasional few hours’ sleep, there seems to be no time for doing “meaningful,” career-enhancing work that would be a perfect addition to their resume. The college students’ dilemma is a much-repeated one: to get a good job, they need experience; but to get experience they need a job.

Although doing volunteer work has long been promoted as an excellent way for college students to enhance their resume plus get relevant work experience, the grinding reality of campus life today makes it virtually impossible for most students to commit to a regularly scheduled volunteer experience.

Flexible volunteering can be the answer to many college students’ dilemma. Unlike traditional volunteer opportunities, which require people to show up on specific days at specified times at a particular location, flexible volunteer opportunities are those that individuals can do on their own schedule, when they have the time. For some students, that spare time is the fifteen or twenty minutes they spend riding the bus to their part-time job. For others, it may be a spare thirty minutes they can spend on the Internet in between classes. The unexpected free hour or two when a class is cancelled can also be put to productive use.

For the average college student, flexible volunteering is a logical, convenient answer to how to gain meaningful work experience when there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. There are many conventional and online charity-related organizations offering a wide variety of traditional volunteer opportunities, but the concept of flexible volunteerism is a relatively new idea that addresses a need that has risen among today's ultra-busy population, especially college students, who want to gain experience, give something back to the community, but just can't seem to find the time.

Charity Guide has taken the idea of flexible volunteerism and given it energy and a web presence that is full of flexible volunteer ideas. College students who are looking for a way to build an impressive resume (www.charityguide.org/volunteer/motivation/resume-building.htm) with flexible volunteer experiences and feel good about it at the same time should visit CharityGuide.org (http://www.charityguide.org). Charity Guide offers busy college students a wide range of flexible volunteer activities in many categories – from environmental protection to children’s issues, animal welfare, health and safety, community development, and poverty. For information about flexible volunteer opportunities in these areas, plus more specific resume-building and volunteering tips, visit Charity Guide (http://www.charityguide.org).

Rock/Creek Outfitters Launches Chaco Recycled Shoe Program, Benefits Himalayan Communities

Chaco teams up with Chattanooga-based outfitter to make a difference by collecting consumers’ old shoes. Customers are rewarded with a discount on new Chacos, and donated shoes are delivered to Himalayan communities in need.

Chattanooga, TN (PRWEB) July 14, 2006 -- Rock/Creek Outfitters and footwear manufacturer, Chaco, Inc., announce this week’s launch of the Chaco Recycled Shoe Program. Rock/Creek, a Chattanooga-based outdoor retailer, is inviting customers to trade in any used (but clean) pair of shoes, boots, or sandals for a 20% discount on a new pair of Chacos. The initiative will last two weeks and will be available to the public through Rock/Creek’s physical and online stores. The shoes that are collected will be cleaned up and distributed to those in need in other parts of the world. Chaco launched the Recycle Program in 2005, and with the help of retailers like Rock/Creek Outfitters, has managed to distribute over 1,500 lightly worn pairs of shoes.

Chaco Sandals has partnered with the dZi Foundation to deliver the collected footwear to people in high mountain regions of the Himalayas. The foundation promotes the education, health, culture and welfare of indigenous mountain communities in the Himalayan regions of Ladakh, Nepal and Sikkim. After receiving the shoes, Chaco will clean them and send them to the dZi foundation, which in turn will distribute them through schools, monasteries, and safe houses that the organization supports.

Chaco’s efforts have also had an impact on communities closer to home. After hurricane Rita ripped through the Gulf Coast region in September 2005, Chaco partnered with a Baton Rouge retailer, collecting over 400 pairs of recycled footwear to distribute to displaced hurricane victims in affected areas of Louisiana.

The Chaco Recycled Shoe Program will launch at all Rock/Creek Outfitters locations, including the retailer’s websites, rockcreek.com and climbinggear.com, starting Friday, July 14 and will run through Saturday, July 29.

Marvin Webb, owner of Rock/Creek Outfitters, said, "The program is a good fit for Rock/Creek and Chaco, two companies who are both committed to sustainability. Not only are customers’ old shoes diverted from landfills, but they also provide extra miles for people who need them. We’re proud to take part in the initiative.”

For additional information on the Chaco Recycled Shoe Program, please visit www.rockcreek.com/chaco.

About Rock/Creek Outfitters:

Rock/Creek Outfitters is a specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek Outfitters provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve access to the backcountry.

About Chaco:
While many businesses focus solely on profits, Chaco seeks to follow the three steppingstones to sustainability: profits, people and the planet. They strive to minimize their environmental impact, better the lives of the people with whom they work and maintain healthy profitability so they can keep their initiatives moving forward. To further support their sustainability initiatives, Chaco donates three percent of after-tax profits to organizations dedicated to caring for people and the planet. They currently support the Conservation Alliance, the Sierra Club, American Whitewater, Leave No Trace, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and many others.

Wanted: Volunteers to Rehabilitate Ten North Minneapolis Homes August 19, 2006

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and Minneapolis' Northside Home Fund join forces to preserve affordable housing in the North Minneapolis area. They seek skilled construction volunteers experienced in the building trades and crafts and general volunteers who will pitch in and help wherever they can.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) August 2, 2006 -- Two Twin Cities housing organizations are seeking volunteers willing to devote a Saturday to pounding nails or painting trim as part of an August 19 effort to rehabilitate ten North Minneapolis homes.

The partnership between Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and the Northside Home Fund will revitalize and preserve much-needed affordable housing for low-income families, particularly the elderly or persons with disabilities. The ten-targeted homes need basic repairs to bring them into compliance with building codes. Approximately 300 volunteers are needed to perform a variety of tasks ranging from clean-up and light carpentry to more skilled electrical, masonry and plumbing work.

"Rebuilding Together brings together the people, tools and supplies needed to get the work done while the Northside Home Fund provides the financial resources it takes to truly improve the quality of the housing stock in North Minneapolis for the long term," says Kathy Greiner, executive director of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities. "Mayor R.T. Rybak, members of the City Council and leaders throughout the community recognize that affordable housing provides the foundation for safer, more economically viable neighborhoods. We're pleased to join with them in what we hope will be the first of many joint housing rehabilitation projects."

Volunteers must be 14 years of age or older, and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers are asked to commit to a full workday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Continental breakfast, snacks, beverages, lunch and a project t-shirt will be provided. Volunteers are also invited to attend a celebration picnic at Farview Park immediately following the workday. Volunteers are encouraged to bring well-marked hand and power tools. To sign up, or for more information, call Rebuilding Together Twin Cities at (651) 776-4273 or visit www.rebuildingtogether-twincities.org

About Rebuilding Together Twin Cities

Established in 1997, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities is the local chapter of the national organization Rebuilding Together. Borne of the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor to rebuild our community together, Rebuilding Together renovates, revitalizes and renews homes and helps homeowners regain a sense of pride in their community. Through mid-2006, The Twin Cities' chapter has rehabilitated 84 homes, providing a better living environment for 54 elderly persons, 44 persons with disabilities, and 45 families with a combined total of 114 children.

About Northside Home Fund

The City of Minneapolis Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) Department established the Northside Partnership, which is charged with creating a comprehensive action plan to increase employment options, improve economic development, housing and environmental opportunities, and address public safety concerns in North Minneapolis. A key component of the Northside Partnership's housing effort is the City's $1 million appropriation used to seed the Northside Home Fund (NHF). The mission of the NHF is "To add value to existing neighborhood and institutional efforts to improve the quality of the housing stock in North Minneapolis." The NHF aims to improve the quality of the housing stock as well as stabilize and strengthen the home-ownership market of north Minneapolis neighborhoods.

Surfers United Recovery Foundation (S.U.R.F.) to Hold “Live- Clean/Surf-Clean” Benefit August 26th in Venice, CA

The surf industry will come together for one evening to benefit the newly launched non-profit, S.U.R.F -- surfers helping surfers and surf industry employees achieve and sustain recovery from alcoholism and/or drug addiction.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 6, 2006 -- S.U.R.F., a non-profit organization created to develop resources and assist surfers and people within the surf industry living with addiction and drug/alcohol dependency issues to attain and sustain recovery, will host its first benefit for startup costs and to attain 501C status. The benefit will be held at Epoxybox in Venice, CA, (located at 602 Venice Blvd.) on August 26, 2006 from 7 p.m.- Midnight. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25.00 at the door.

The evening will feature musical performances by the critically acclaimed West Indian Girl and well-known local vocalist Shayne Blue. Surf and fashion photographer Jason Reposar will exhibit outstanding portraits of the worlds most famous surfers from his forthcoming book "The Tride," to be released by Metal-Storm in late 2006. Alongside Repsosar, local surf photographers Aliza Almarez, Francis Breidenbach, Jay Blodgett, Rocki Pederson as well as surf world icons Chris and Grant Rohloff will exhibit and sell original prints with profits benefiting S.U.R.F. "Destination Point," a film by Josh Pomer, and "Islands in the Stream," a film by T.J. Barrack and Wes Brown, will also be presented.

A raffle will be held including a Guy Okazaki surfboard, a free week in Costa Rica at the Playa Grande Surf Camp, surf lessons, surf DVDs and an auction for a Donavon Frankenreiter signed Fender guitar. Confirmed sponsors include: Dakine, Guy Okazaki Surfboards, Playa Grande Surf Camp, Metal-Storm Entertainment, Fender Guitar, Rocker Board Shop, Chocolate Sun, Karl Strauss, The Icon, Hint Water, Slam310.TV, Izze Sodas, Swellmagnet.com, KK Media and Monterey Media.

For ticket information and purchase, please visit www.surfrecovery.org. Tickets can also be purchased at Rocker Board Shop in Mar Vista and Islands Surf Shop in Santa Monica.

About S.U.R.F.

S.U.R.F. (Surfers United Recovery Foundation) has been created to promote community awareness and offer solutions to assist surfers and surf industry employees gain freedom from alcohol and drug addiction. The foundation is dedicated to finding the best recovery solutions and offering funding resources and support to those who wish to recover from the disease of addiction. The vision of S.U.R.F. is grounded in the belief that surfers who have recovered can help other surfers struggling with addiction problems and its mission is to develop affiliations within both the surf and recovery communities to best assist those individuals seeking recovery.

Breaking Free From Child Poverty - Photo Contest

Deadline for entries: August 20, 2006

In conjunction with Global Volunteer Network's Stop Child Poverty Campaign the exhibition aims to raise awareness about the millions of children around the globe who are living in extreme poverty.

Winning photos will be displayed in the Breaking Free from Child Poverty Photo Exhibit that will travel to Denver, Atlanta, Boston, London, Amsterdam, and Wellington. In addition, you and your work will be featured in the Global Volunteer Network newsletter serving 35,000 people. This is not only a great way for your photographs to be featured across the globe, but it is also a tangible way for you to help raise global support for those suffering from extreme poverty.

Read about it, http://www.gvnfoundation.org/whatyoucando/photocontest/ .