On September 19th, I’ll be paddling 30 miles from Catalina island to Newport Beach in the annual Ben Did Go 11.0 prone paddle, raising money for the Ben Carlson Foundation. 

Ben Carlson was a Newport Beach lifeguard who lost his life saving a swimmer in 2014, and his legacy lives on through the Ben Did Go paddle and all the work that the foundation has done for the lifeguarding community all over the globe. 

All the money raised by the Ben Carlson Memorial & Scholarship foundation goes toward ocean safety education, giving life-saving equipment to under-resourced lifeguard agencies worldwide, and scholarships to outgoing students who demonstrate excellence and a passion for the lifeguarding community. After sailing accross the channel this spring and learning lots about the event from friends and online, I've decided to do as my dad once did when he was my age and cross the channel prone paddling, but in addition for a purpose. Any donation, big or small, helps me reach my fundraising goal and directly impacts the cause. Your support means the world to me!