“Are you guys part of a government organization or something?”

“No, not at all.”

“So are you guys missionaries? What religion are you from?”

“No, we’re not part of any religion….We just want to surf and change the world.”

And it was at that moment, having overheard this exchange from within a tiny coffee shop in Nicaragua, that I lifted my head from behind my lap-top and first came in contact with Wil Kinnane and Chris Bishop, founders and directors of Surf For The Cause. Ever since founding Surf For The Cause in 2004 they have faced these types of inquiries over and over. Because it can’t be that simple, can it? Surfers in their mid-20’s don’t just set out to make a change in the world without ulterior motives behind their cause. Their has to be more to this, right?

“I can change the world, with my own two hands
make it a better place, with my own two hands
make it a kinder place, with my own two hands

I can make peace on earth, with my own two hands
I can clean up the earth, with my own two hands
I can reach out to you, with my own two hands
with my own, with my own, two hands”

Ben Harper
With My Own Two Hands

Since first raising over $10,000 in 2004 for the construction of two homes in Nicaragua, as well as delivering food to whose only hope for their next meal is scouring through disease-riddled dumps, Surf For The Cause has been on an absolute mission with one very defined purpose: Changing the World One Wave at a Time.

What exactly does ‘Changing the World One Wave at a Time’ mean? It means many months over a 3 yr. period doing volunteer work at youth centers, raising over $8,000 for a children’s hospital, and doing investigative work for Hope for the Children in the country of Peru. It means working with AIDS patients and Lepers in Africa. It means tirelessly raising money back home, filling their surfboard-bags with stuffed animals, and returning to Nicaragua to deliver these goods and distribute food to whose who are in such desperate need. I could go on for ages defining just what they mean by ‘Changing the World One Wave at a Time,’ but to capture the pure essence of each of their miraculous works in a short article would be impossible. In some way, I wish it were possible for everyone to be there firsthand to witness Chris and Wil tell the story of a young mother in a desolate city of Nicaragua and the smile on her face when they delivered a fan, food, and much more to she and her 12 day-old child.

The mission of Surf For The Cause is a simple one: surf, and change the world. They are truly believers in their cause and their movement is catching on and building steam. Grassroots Films covered some of their work in their 2008 Maui and Sedona Film Festival winning documentary, “The Human Experience.” Everywhere they go, surfers and non-surfers alike, are intrigued in what they have set to do and interested in taking part. While what they have done to this point is remarkable, they made it very clear to me that this is only the beginning.

“We just want to surf and change the world.” And with those nine simple words, they said it all.

Travis Davison Snow- contributing photog.

Posted by Shaun on Monday, August 25th, 2008 in Surfing. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

• -Mundaka Under the Microscope
• -California Surfer Donates $50,000 to Surfing America
• -Getting All Crazy for President-Elect Obama
• -Eddie Didn’t Go, Ku Ikaika Did
• -Blind Students Take to the Waves in California