2011 Little Warriors Surf Camp a Success!

Freedom Is Not Free hosted our third annual Little Warriors Surf Camp this year at the La Jolla Shores beach in San Diego, CA. With the help of our generous sponsors, this year we were able to provide professional surf instruction and high quality soft boards for over 100 children of local wounded and deployed soldiers! Each of the four sessions lasted two days

We would like to thank the great folks at INT Softboards, Wells Fargo, Surf Diva, and Extreme Pizza in La Jolla for making this year's surf camp one to remember. With your support, we were once again able to offer the camp at no cost to the participating families!

Surfing is an active, healthy, and stress relieving sport that is readily available to military children in the coastal areas of San Diego. Not only does the Little Warriors Surf Camp equip the kids with sound fundamentals, it also gives them a chance to have fun with other military children in similar situations as their own.

Over the past decade, military families have felt the effects of constant deployments. Besides, worrying about the safety of a loved one on a daily basis, military spouses have to bear the responsibilities of raising children and maintaining households on their own. We are happy to provide a positive experience to help temporarily relieve some of the stresses associated with having a wounded or deployed family member.

Our volunteers and participants made Surf Camp special this year, and we at Freedom Is Not Free are looking forward to next summer's camp. Stay tuned for registration details!

Here's what parents had to say about this year's camp:

"Thank you for such a wonderful experience this summer :) My kids still talk about their time surfing and we have been out a couple more times with the board. More importantly, you made my kids feel special. We forget that they sacrifice for our country by having their parent deploy so often. My husband has deployed 3 times in the past 4 1/2 years."

"My kids loved playing on the beach before, during and after camp. La Jolla Shores is a super beach for beginners and is a great central location between Coronado all the way to San Clemente. Registration is easy via email and the timing worked our really well. After two days my guys were surfing backwards, pulling some yoga moves... and mastered their favorite... "The Dead Cockroach!" Hysterical!"

"My sincerest thank you for offering this program. My husband is in Afghanistan for 7 months and communication is spotty. It can be tough for a 7 & 9 year old to know what to say over the phone, but Surf Camp gave them plenty to chat about with him. In addition, it was a real treat for them. It's not something I could have provided for them so it was a burden lifted from me. Thank you for recognizing the sacrifices that military kids make and allowing them a true Southern California experience."

"We want to take this opportunity to thank you, your volunteers, and everyone at Freedom Is Not Free for the amazing Surf Camp you provided our children. In 22 years serving the USMC, I've never seen our children enjoy anything more. As you already know, military service is often rough on the kids, with absent parents, unpredictable schedules, and one parent left running "thin". Having an activity like this for the kids gives them something to look forward to, builds confidence, lets them relate to other military children, and shows them they matter and are not forgotten."

Links to media coverage of the Little Warriors Surf Camp:

La Jolla Light

Video from the evening news