I Made a Donation and Went for a Surf

Last year I wound up entering the surf contest when I let it slip to fellow volunteers that I had just started surfing. They stuck an entry form in front of me and started egging me on to surf. I said I just started surfing. They said I wasn’t entering a surf competition, I was making a donation to the National Kidney Foundation, and going for a surf. I said I didn’t have a board with me. They said there would be lots of boards on the beach, and I could find one to borrow. Finally, my excuses were taken away when one volunteer handed me cash for the entry fee and said stop making excuses it’s for fun.

Saturday was warm and sunny we spent the day down on the beach playing volleyball, and watching the heats. One of the volunteers found a brand new yet-to-be waxed board for me about five minutes before my heat started. I ran up to the Sticky Bumps tent and grabbed a bar of wax while my friend ran around trying to find me a leash. I waxed like mad trying to get as much on the nine-foot as I could in the three-minute window. My friend came running down the beach with a leash as I was getting ready to paddle out.

The Surf Festival was a blast I met tons of great people, some of whom have become great friends. I can’t wait to get out there and volunteer and surf this year.

"Live with Intention. Walk to the Edge. Listen Hard."

Today, the NKF of Florida makes this blog post with a heavy heart. A close friend, great supporter, and incredible volunteer, Denise Parris, lost her mother Linda on Thursday, June 18. Denise was the key force behind our marketing initiatives this year to include our Facebook, MySpace, Twitter pages, and this blog.

"Linda Parris was an incredible woman who truly celebrated life by living to the fullest." Linda upheld the spirit of the Surf Festival by choosing to attack life despite the limitations and setbacks that her body tried to deliver. We are truly saddened by this loss and our condolences go out to Denise and the Parris family.

"Live with Intention. Walk to the Edge. Listen Hard. Practice Wellness. Play with Abandon. Laugh. Choose with No Regret. Continue to Learn. Appreciate Your Friends."
- Maryanne Radmacher-Hersey

Tell Us Your Story

The NKF Pro Am Surf Festival has been a part of the Cocoa Beach surfing scene for over 20 years. It has seen some great competitors such as Kelly Slater throughout its history and it has also seen the amateur soul surfer just enjoying a day on the water. Now we want you to tell us your story. Maybe the NKF Surf Festival was your first time competing or maybe your whole family surfs in the event every year. Maybe it's where you got your first professional victory. Or maybe you're a transplant recipient who learned to surf at the event.

There have been a lot of memories made over Labor Day and a few friends as well. Thanks to the volunteers, the spectators, and the competitors, the event has become a special part of Labor Day Weekend to Cocoa Beach and the National Kidney Foundation of Florida and we want to recognize those who have supported us for twenty four years.

No matter what your story is we want to hear about. Email it to Bryan at bwilliams@kidneyfla.org and we'll be sure to post your memories on the blog. Whether it's a few sentences or a novella, explore the past with us as we celebrate the tradition and history of the largest charity surf festival in the world. Feel free to send along a picture as well.

A Tribute to the Founders

The NKF of Florida is proud to conduct the world's largest charity surf contest each year but we are even more proud of the men behind it. If you live in Cocoa Beach or the surrounding area you probably already know Rich Salick's story and you've probably already been touched by a selfless act so common with the Salick brothers. If you don't, their story, the reason the NKF Pro Am Surf Festival continues to be a staple in the Cocoa Beach community, will hopefully inspire you to become involved and support the event.

Rich was in the prime of his professional surfing career when he was stuck with a rare kidney disease that made it impossible to function without life saving dialysis for 8 hours per day. The disease put his surfing aspirations on hold while Rich struggled through dialysis until his brother, Phil, offered to give Rich one of his kidneys. After being successfully transplanted, Rich could cease the dialysis treatments and he began dreaming of a comeback. Because the transplanted kidney was close to the skin it was susceptible to damage if exposed to severe contact. Doctors told Rich his surfing days were over. After receiving inspiration from water skiers and the material used to make life jackets, Rich devised a padding system that protected his transplanted kidney while in the water. He returned to competition after a long and difficult rehabilitation and finished second in his first competition and won the next.

Having suffered and conquered, Rich and Phil turned their attention to helping the dialysis patients who weren't lucky enough to find an organ match. They wanted to help the people who were forced to spend so much time on dialysis machines to survive, their lives put on hold by kidney disease. Rich and Phil started a surf competition in Cocoa Beach and challenged local surf shops. The first contest generated $125 which was hand delivered to a local dialysis center in a brown paper bag.

The Pro Am Surf Festival has come a long way since its inauspicious beginnings and in twenty four years has become a major income producer for the NKF of Florida and a great place for professionals and amateurs alike to begin or continue their surfing careers. To this date, the Surf Festival has raised over $4 million for patient programs and services provided by the NKF of Florida, including the Direct Aid program that gives money directly to dialysis patients who struggle financially because of kidney disease.

While the Surf Festival is certainly a lot of fun for everyone who attends, we hope that the story behind it doesn't get lost in all of the hoopla. So, thanks to the Salick brothers for all of their hard worl and thanks to the Cocoa Beach community for supporting the event year in and year out. And we definitely can't forget the hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who work year round to make this event possible. Thanks for giving your time and effort to help those in need.

So, please come out and support the event and if you want more information about kidney disease and how you can support the NKF of Florida, visit www.kidneyfla.org or call 1-800-927-9659. For more information about the Surf Festival, visit www.nkfsurf.com.