Island Water Sports -Wave of Hope ? Sun Sentinel Interview | IWS ...

The ocean may be right at our doorstep, and the waves never sleep. But some kids never have the chance to shred, get their flow on, or shout out a spirited "cowabunga!"

So for more than 25 years, the Island Water Sport surf shop in Deerfield Beach has been footing the bill for three or four underprivileged kids to attend its annual summer surf camp.

"Some of these kids have never been to the beach," said Mike Paim, the shop's marketing manager. "They're very urban, very sheltered."

But this year, in partnership with the city of Deerfield Beach, the shop is upping the ante: they're aiming to school more than two dozen at-risk kids in the fine art of hanging 10, shooting the curl, or just standing up on the board without falling.

"Our goal is to send 30 kids to camp at least," Paim said.

To meet that goal, the shop and the city are looking for donations. They held one fundraiser already, in which surf equipment vendors dedicated 15 percent of their sales, along with auctions of surfboards and beach cruisers, to the camp charity. The event took in $5,000, enough to send 16 kids to surf camp this summer.

"We need to reach out to the community to raise money to send even more kids out," Paim said.

Vice Mayor Bill Ganz praised the camp for giving poor kids the opportunity to play around in the surf. "I think it's outstanding, and really, it's a great benefit to the city," he said. "They're giving back to the community."

The city is working on alternative ways to help fund the program, he added.

The surf camp consists of 10, one-week sessions for $299 a week. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., kids ages 6 to 17 take lessons on surfing, skim boarding, snorkeling and stand-up paddling. They also attend classes on surf history and the environment, smear on extra sun screen and clean up the beach.

Disadvantaged kids find the surf camp a welcome respite from often grim neighborhoods, and not just because of the refreshing surf.

"It's a brand new experience for them, and it can really open their eyes that there's more to do out there than just hanging around on the street," Paim said. "It gets them in touch with nature. They don't have a lot of time for recreation."

Many of the kids who benefited from the shop's previous charity sponsorships ? a program motivated by faith ? have continued to ride the waves.

"Some of these kids started at an early age and 10 to 15 years later are still into surfing," Paim said.

The shop and city are planning at least one more event to raise the money needed to fund the surf camp for 14 more kids.

"I think we'll probably end up doing one more through the summer," Paim said. "Once we schedule the next event, we're sure the community will come out again and support it."

Donations may be made at http://www.islandcamps.com.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-surf-camp-20120529,0,685986.story

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