Spinal Cord Injured Individuals Go Surfing with Life Rolls On's signature program, They Will Surf Again

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Aug. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of individuals will gather at 9^th Street Beach in Huntington Beach, CA on Saturday, August 17, 2013 as Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO) hosts "They Will Surf Again" (TWSA), a powerful program that enables individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) to experience the rush of riding a wave with the assistance of adapted surfboards and volunteers. With over 80 adaptive surfers registered, this will be the largest event that LRO has produced in Southern California.  As a subsidiary of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the program's goal is to give these adaptive surfers an opportunity to luxuriate in a freedom of mobility rarely afforded in their everyday lives.  Surfing experience is not required!

The organization was founded by Jesse Billauer in 2002, when a surfing accident left him paralyzed on the brink of a promising professional career in surfing.  Jesse remains a figure of inspiration as an adaptive surfer, public speaker, and community hero.  To learn more about the organization and watch inspiring footage from previous events, please visit www.liferollson.org.

This specific event will honor LRO's volunteer base in Southern California, a group that has powered the They Will Surf Again program from its inception.  Life Rolls On would like to thank veteran volunteer Ted Canedy for taking matters into his own hands and coordinating a fundraising event that helped put this Huntington Beach event on the map.  Canedy's fundraising initiative will be supplemented by the generosity of TriNet, the event's host sponsor.

"Life Rolls On is thrilled to offer the opportunity for people with SCI to surf," said Stevie Hutchinson, Program Manager at Life Rolls On Foundation. "But as we have been told by so many of our talented surfers, we are not just providing a day of surf and sun, we are helping them find their ability to defeat disability and to focus on the infinite possibilities that lie ahead." 

"I have been surfing for seven years now with Life Rolls On, but I can still distinctly remember the way I felt the first time I got in the water," said Patrick Ivison, Ambassador for Life Rolls On. "It was a completely freeing feeling and to this day that hasn't changed. I love seeing new people in the water, too, because I know they are feeling exactly what I felt and will remember it for the rest of their lives."

WHEN:            Saturday, August 17, 2013, 8:00am to 3:00pm

WHERE:          9^th Street Beach in Huntington Beach, CA

WHO:              The event will host forty surfers, two hundred volunteers, LRO staff, and additional supporters. Anyone is welcome to attend the event and show support by bringing positive energy to the beach!

PHOTO OPP:   Individuals with spinal cord injuries surfing.

About Life Rolls On Foundation

Founded in 1999, Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis.  With a network of more than 70,000 supporters worldwide, LRO is one of the fastest growing, contemporary charitable organizations in the country and has been featured in national print, television and radio.  In 2007, the organization received its first EMMY® nomination for Best National Public Service Announcement.  For more information, visit www.liferollson.org.

SOURCE Life Rolls On