Doing the right thing for a little girl hurt by a kiter

[Greg]

Wind permitting I will be doing the self rescue clinic, also I'll be demonstrating body dragging.. After I've done my thing I invite any and all who want to partake to get out and drag with me through an obstical course (up wind, cross wind, down wind) and finishing with a self rescue, THEN RUN OR SWIM to shore, KITE IN HAND... First one to the sand WINS!


Something like that-
Enjoy,
L.M.G.

[WindMuch]

Just donated.

You guys/gals are all amazing. I'm proud of the community effort going on here.

Looking forward to matching some faces to log-in names on Saturday at Alameda...

Kirk out

[robert22]

Alameda KiteSurfing Swap Meet Fundraiser
When: Saturday, September 18th from 10AM to 12PM
Where: Crown Beach, Alameda (Grassy area across the path from the Shack)

As the Bay Area Kitesurfing season comes to a close, here's a chance to sell some of your old kite gear and/or pick up some new gear, all while helping to raise funds for Luz's medical bills.

Everyone is welcome to attend, but we encourage all those using this swap meet to sell their gear to donate a portion of their sales to the Fundraiser (suggested donation is 10%-20% of sales). And, if you have any Kitesurfing gear that you'd like to donate outright, there will also be a donation area.

Again, the Swap Meet will be held from 10AM-12PM (prior to the start of the Kite Safety/BBQ Fundraiser at 12PM). Hope to see you all there.

[robert22]

As part of the Fundraiser on Saturday, we are planning on holding a raffle. Several local businesses have generously donated prizes. We are trying to finalize the list of raffle prizes, so if anyone has any item/service that they would like to donate, please send me a PM. So far, here's what's been donated:

$100 Gift Certificate to Lauren's Closet (Alameda)
(2) $50 Gift Certificates to Alameda Wine Bar
4 Months Free Gym MemberShip to Alameda Athletic Club
Gourmet Burgers for 4 at Burger Meister (Alameda)

Also, if you have any kitesurfing gear that you're looking to sell (or buy), please remember the Swap Meet from 10AM to 12PM on Saturday. Thanks.

[davidllyon]

I spoke with the plastic surgeon's office, and the bill for Luz's care there came to $2141. With the emergency room bill of $1700, the total is $3841.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that when the surgeon heard about the community wide effort to help the family, she cut her bill in half.

Also, Children's Hospital will take 50% off the top for people who do not have insurance. Pay half the bill with a personal check, they waive the rest.

So net we need to raise $1920.50 to cover the bill. That's a result of people knowing we're kicking down to make this happen.

The paypal account has $1165.50 in it so far. So we've got $755 to go. It will happen.

Show up Saturday, or donate online, and be part of the spirit of this awesome community. It's going to be fun tomorrow, no matter what the weather does, come anyway.

PS We've gotten donations from all over the place, I'll do a tally, but I saw addresses all the way from Torrence, CA to Cotati,CA. The local kite businesses are contributing to the raffle and donating as well. I'll roll all that up when we get done, its still coming in. We all know we all care. Some of the paypal messages are really touching.

Thank you!! Come say hello tomorrow!

[windhorny]

You are awesome! I say any extra goes to them as well. They deserve it.

[davidllyon]

There was a lot of love and focus on safety at the beach today. Thanks to all who showed up and to all who wished they could.

It was so awesome to have Luz and her family there, Jose, Brian, Omar and Miguel.

Greg (lmg) did a killer job on the self rescue demonstration, his long experience really showed.

The beach etiquette discussion was right on target. Net is: if your kite is down or out of control and people are inside 2 kite line lengths of you (can get within 1 kite line length of the kite), punch out. Don't try to launch or relaunch with people within that safety zone, ever. Things don't always go according to plan, leave a margin for error. When its really blowing (it was that day) leave a bigger margin for larger errors.

The paypal account stands at $1,287.72.

Between the raffle and additional donations today at the beach, we raised $790.

The BBQ brought in $400, $275 in receipts, plus an additional $125 donation from Jane at Boardsports (she also bought all the food).

Gary at Helm of Sun Valley (clear across the bay in San Mateo) donated $200, Jeff at Norcal Surf Shop (in Burlingame) and Ino and Evan at Live2kite (Alameda and Greenbrae) all kicked in items for the raffle.

Thank you everyone, you made this a full on community effort. My apologies to the businesses we didn't reach out to, everyone I called jumped in with no hesitation.

We needed a minimum of $1920.50 to be able to retire the bills (at a full 50% discount of $3841), we've raised $2677.72 so far. Luz and her family don't need to worry about where the money will come from to retire the bills for her care. We'll write checks to the surgeon and hospital to disburse the funds. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Way to end an unhappy situation on a happy note. It was a joy to see Luz pulling the winning tickets at the raffle. She knows the world is full of caring people she hasn't met yet, rather than uncaring strangers.

Lets be extra safe out there, and take the message to the beach when we see others who could be safer, "please leave a safety zone, remember the little girl that got hurt when that didn't happen". It is up to us to pass on the experience.

[marinaTKB]

Amazing community effort. Makes me proud to be a kiteboarder:-)

[nick_80044]

That's awesome that we were able to meet and exceed the the medical expenses for Luz and her family. Great update, David!