Be Your Word

Someone wise once told me, "live your word". These are not easy words to live by, but I've learned that once you give your word, it needs to be reliable, no matter what the consequences.

A few years ago I founded the Adaptive Surfing Foundation. Our mission is to give those living with disabilities an opportunity to have a fun and healing surfing experience and to develop state-of-the-art adaptive equipment, yet the bottom had dropped out of the economy and business was dropping and donations were dwindling and I soon found myself paying for events and foundation expenses out of my savings. This came to bear in June of 2010.

Summer is when our events are most popular and is also our biggest time for expenses and I found myself in a dilemma, pay a total $4800 in foundation expenses or pay my rent. We had events planned, insurance and sponsorships to cover and equipment to build for our surfers, and I gave my word. I made a choice and moved out of my apartment and ran the foundation and my business from a tent in a nearby field. It didn't seem right to pull the plug on the events or our sponsorships so I did what had to be done to keep my word.

The events were held and I was interviewed on television and radio, yet no one knew that I was essentially homeless. My decision to be homeless didn't make sense to those close to me, so I didn't tell many people. There were many challenges, but it seemed a small price to pay compared to those we helped.

Things have changed for the better for both me and the foundation, but I have no regrets. The challenge was worth it.

Submitted by Anonymous

Making A Difference