Aloha Toronto and Surfer’s Healing Recap
August 25th, 2013 – Blu Wave Paddleboards, sponsored the Surfer’s Healing Camp for Kids with Autism this week at Cherry Beach as part of the 2nd annual Aloha Toronto, an all weekend beach festival which included SUP demos, races, live music, beach vendors and a charity auction. The first all-in-one beach party, concert venue, and autism charity event of its kind in Toronto, Aloha Toronto took over Cherry Beach August 24th and 25th, with an opening night kick off all-white dress code party at The Balmy Beach Club.
Saturday featured a charity elite and leisure stand up paddleboard competition benefiting Surfers Healing. The main event, SURFERS HEALING, featured legendary surfer Izzy Paskowitz, legendary long-board surfer and co-founder of Surfers Healing (a surfing day camp for autistic children and their families), and other celebrated surfers–including Guinness Book Big Wave surfer Garrett McNamara–hosting Surfers Healing’s only Canadian surf clinic. Paskowitz, whose son Isaiah was diagnosed with low-functioning autism, started the surfing camps after discovering the powerful, therapeutic effects surfing had on Isaiah. Both Saturday and Sunday included not only the Surfers Healing camps, but also performances from Aloha Toronto ‘surf’ house band The Calrizians musicians, traditional Hawaiian dancers from The Spirit of Aloha ‘Ohana Hula, DJs and entertainers, as well as classic surf films.
“I experienced the magic of Surfers Healing at Pacific Beach, California in 2009. That compelling moment offered a promise to Izzy and Danielle Paskowitz – to bring this incredible free camp to Toronto. I am thrilled beyond belief that (now four years later), this profound experience has happened in our own backyard. The entire weekend will celebrate traditional beach culture, surfer stoke while making a difference! We couldn’t do it without Blu Wave Paddleboards, who sponsors the Surfers Healing camp and provides all the boards for these kids to experience surfing and stand-up paddleboarding for the first time” said Helen Hatzis, founder of Aloha Toronto.
Click here for more of CBC’s coverage of the event which aired on the National on Saturday.
For more information on Blu Wave, please visit our website.
