You don’t have to be a surfer to support SurfAid – you just have to have a passion for helping others!
SurfAid started after a surfing doctor visited a remote area and saw people needlessly suffering and dying from preventable diseases. SurfAid provides “a hand up, not a hand out.” Local staff give advice, training and expertise, but it is up to the community to implement change. Executive Director, Erin Miserlis ensures that SurfAid’s work is education based, guaranteeing sustainability for future generations to come.
10 Things About Erin Miserlis & SurfAid
#1 I grew up in Oxnard, California and spent my fair share of time at Silver Strand Beach with my brothers. My Dad used to get mad and tell us that surfing wouldn’t take us anywhere in life. Those beach days prepared me for a career of turning a love of surfing into a passion for saving lives with SurfAid!
#2 My first job was as a cashier at a fish market. I smelled horrible and quit after a month.
#3 My husband, kids and I ride our bikes to Karl Strauss Brewery a few times a month; we love the outdoor patio.
#4 I am a dog person, but my dogs are half cat.
#5 Kindness is the number one rule in our house. When faced with negativity, kill them with kindness.
#6 I was told I could never have kids, but I had two, with the exact same due date! I wrote a book about it called “Fertility Follies” to help others dealing with infertility.
#7 My mom passed when I was 13. I would love to find out how she made her incredible potato soup, and to have her see my work at SurfAid – helping moms & children live a healthy and long life.
#8 The Ecke YMCA required program directors to fundraise. I thought I’d hate it, but I was inspired by the impact that can be made through collective giving.
#9 SurfAid works in remote areas that have some of the highest mortality rates in the world. In Nias, Indonesia, out of 150 pregnancies, 8 moms and 22 children were dying per year. After implementing our Mother and Child Health program, we saw a reduction in maternal deaths from 8 annually to zero. And the mortality rate for children under five has all but disappeared.
#10 We have two events coming up, June 21st at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch and October 19th in Cardiff. The SurfAid Cup is a tag-team competition open to surfers of all ages and abilities. Each team has four amateurs and one pro like surfing legends, Rob Machado and Damien Hobgood. One day of surfing turns into a year of support for our families. Proceeds will support SurfAid’s Mother and Child Health programs, including our latest projects in Baja, Mexico.
