The surfboard will be given away at our fundraiser Friday 3/23/12 at Wahoo’s Kahala which starts at 6:30PM. If you would like to participate in the drawing ahead of time, simply go to http://twsa-hawaii-2012.eventbrite.com/ or click here to get your chance to win the autographed surfboard. You do NOT need to be present to win; however, the winner will be responsible for any shipping costs. This is open to EVERYONE!  Help a great cause and get a chance for an awesome drawing!

If you would like to participate or volunteer for They Will Surf Again, be sure to register online by going to www.liferollson.org/hawaii or click here.

Note: Alex O’Loughlin was not on set and available for the photo, but he did sign it!

Check out the video at the end of the post to see photos of Life Rolls On They Will Surf Again signature program. Or click here to view.

My hero Maile from Gayla Elizabeth on Vimeo.

While I have yet to come up with a solid plan of how I can help raise awareness about SCI and funds for LRO, I did decide to participate in the silent auction.I have donated $2500.00 in my services to be auctioned off which includes the following:

• A 2 hour photography session with Gayla Elizabeth (valid on any family, baby or portrait session)
• 1 leather custom fine art coffee table album
• 1 DVD cinematic slideshow

There will be live entertainment, inspirational stories, dining and a cool auction; (including an autographed Jack Johnson surfboard. WOOT). I absolutely L*O*V*E Jack Johnson, so had to give him props for that. hee-hee.  If you want to participate or donate please contact Life Rolls On by clicking here. Seriously, this is one totally rad organization. The programs they put on for those with spinal cord injuries is beyond amazing. You can see a post from They Will Surf Again by clicking here.  My brother and his family will be in attendance, including the little star herself, Maile. Since I won’t be able to attend, I’ll have to rely on photos taken by my brother…yikes.

Everyone had to register by 8am at La Jolla Shores Beach. And, there wasn’t a peep of sun in the sky.  Instead it was a little foggy and a bit overcast; and, let’s say that the water was….. uh… freezing! However, that didn’t stop us from having an incredible day. Being surrounded and around such great people made it feel like it was 100 degrees! 5 teams were created and each surfer would have 30 minutes in the water. Volunteers would wheel the athletes to the shore in special mobi chairs,  carry them onto the surfboard, assist them out and help them catch some waves on special surfboards that allowed surfers to hold on. What I witnessed was priceless. Simply amazing. To see the joy and happiness on everyone’s face (surfers, families and volunteers) was a gift that I could never buy.  In fact, it was the greatest gift you could ever ask for.   Oh, my heart was smiling so big, I think it came out of my chest! It was purely magical. I would highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend you volunteer to any future event. I promise you, you will feel so fulfilled and really feel amazing. It’s incredibly rewarding and so gratifying to witness the happiness and joy on these beautiful faces.

Maile was assigned to team orange and scheduled to surf at 11:0o. She had to gear up with a bathing suit, followed by a wet suit, then a life vest, and topped off by her team orange jersey. When she was done, she looked like a fullback for the Oakland Raiders, ready for the big game! :-=) She is so tiny and her size 2 wetsuit was a bit big for her, but she was so anxious and excited to get in the water, she didn’t care about the layers and layers of attire on her little body. You could hear her saying, “I WANNA GO IN THE WATER!”. When it was her turn, all the volunteers carried her above the water like a princess, turned her around and let her ride a wave in. Maile doesn’t like water in her eyes, so we weren’t sure how well she would handle the splashing. I mean a little water from the bathtub could really put a her in a mood. But, after her first wave, she seemed fine, so they carried her out again and again and again. She caught about 7 waves before she came in. It was so cool. So cool….

Lunch rolled around and everyone took a break and had some good eats that included sandwiches, BBQ, chips, rice, salad, short ribs, teriyaki chicken and Ben Jerry’s ice cream. Yum, yum!  Soon after a quick lunch break, it was back in the water for the remaining surfers, who were lucky enough to catch some of the sun that decided to pop out during the last 30 minutes!

The event was so well put together and possible by so many incredible volunteers and sponsors and organizers.  A cute surf boutique shop Surf Diva in La Jolla came by and handed out some cute surf diva hats and donated 20% of all sales taken in at their surf shop yesterday to LRO. Give it up for Surf Diva!!!

I’d like to give a special thanks to:

Life Rolls On

Jesse Billauter

Kris Nakamura

Mobi Chair

KINDbars

Function Water

Popeyes Moving Co

Surf Diva

Sweet Treats

Lastly, a big MAHALO to all the volunteers who made this event possible. Thank you for being such incredible people and for giving such an incredible gift to those that are less fortunate than us. Your time, efforts and support is so appreciated. Thank you for fulfilling my niece’s dream of surfing and for allowing her such joy. Your actions will never be forgotten.  Thank you!!! And, to those that donate to Life Rolls On, your donations allow LRO to put on such great events and help countless individuals and families across the world. Much blessings to you all.

It was such an amazing day and I look forward to working with LRO more in the future. LIFE ROLLS ON ROCKS!

Here goes my little niece Maile on her way out to catch some waves! Chhheee-hoooooooooooooo

To see more photos, click play below:

They Will Surf Again La Jolla 2010 from Gayla Elizabeth on Vimeo.

My day started very early at 6:45am. Yes, SIX FORTY FIVE…AM. I don’t even remember the last time I got up before 7am on a Sunday. In fact, last Saturday I didn’t even go to bed until 8am! LOL. Anyway, when I arrived at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium, I came with camera in tow to capture this special day since we would be making history. I was amongst some incredibly amazing people who really gave me such a profound appreciation for what so many of us take for granted. WALKING.

Once Maile checked in, she was given a Superman – go forward dog tag. It was so symbolic, not just because Christopher Reeve was the original Superman, but all of these individuals are in fact heros. Of course big sister Malia was there to support Maile and to get in on all the action.

They had a few giveaways, motivational speeches and even a group of wheelchair dancers called CHAIRLES ANGELS.  Yes, you read right…dancers. These girls were professional dancers, all of whom had an accident of some sort years ago. They never knew each other before being wheelchair bound, but came together over the years and decided that nothing was going to stop them from dancing. They got up on stage and did a little routine for us…danced and showed us that life is really what you make of it. One of the girls sang a song, “I’m Alive” and it really makes you appreciate the small things in life. They were very inspirational and my little niece Maile looked on with such hope and joy, it really put a smile on my heart. So, the next time you are having a bad day or are stressed about something, remember, it could always be worse and be thankful for all the good you do have in your life. Don’t sweat the small stuff people, live life.

It was a rather short event, so quickly after the speeches and raffles, they wanted to get an aerial shot of all wheelchairs spelling out ADA (American with Disabilities Act). Maile was getting a little tired and was off to the side, but I wanted to make sure she was included in that historical photo, so I whisked her to the front row and placed her at the very end, so it would be easy to spot her when that photo is printed. She remained there until the photographer on the boom had 2 people move up to her row, so instead of being the tip, she is two chairs in. Still easily identifiable though. Psshh, photographers can be so demanding and bossy at times! LOL . Anyway, the sun started to blare over the mountains and beam strongly into the sea of wheelchairs, so Maile had her cool shades, a safari hat and her dee-dee. Then it was all good.

After the group shot, they quickly lined everyone up to get the count of wheelchairs (which was 193, breaking the old record of 106).  But, remember…the record wasn’t just to count them in a line, it was for all wheelchairs in a moving line, so the clock didn’t start until each one was in motion. This took a little longer than anticipated, but once they got rolling, the clock started ticking and Maile wheeled her way into history. Once we broke the record, she was given a certificate and then notified we all had 15 minutes to get out of the stadium since there was an LA Dodger game starting soon. Then it was time to celebrate, so I insisted we go get some awesome cupcakes from Sprinkles in Beverly Hills. Wooo-hooo. Awesome day!