Meet Simone, as a lot of you may not know her that well. Simone is from Germany, and spends a lot of time here in Hawaii. When she is in town she is very active at our events and she has even visited our AccesSurf Okinawa branch. That said, it is behind the scenes where Simone truly shines as a superstar. It takes a VERY special type of person to actually enjoy researching and writing grants (which trust us, can be quite a process!). Simone however, truly loves and excels at this. We are so grateful for all the good work Simone does for us, here is her experience in her own words:
Cara (AccesSurf’s Executive Director) and I were on the same canoe team at Kamehameha in Waikiki in 2010/2011. She approached me one day and asked if I could help out with the canoes at their special event at Kualoa Range, which AccesSurf hosts yearly in September. I went and I loved it! It is the best way to spend your Saturday on the island. Despite having been involved with rehabilitation in Australia, Singapore, the UK and Germany, I had never seen such a unique program. I love the ocean, but sharing it with everyone is the joy for me.
Since 2010, I volunteered whenever I could while being on the island. Within the last year, I came back to Hawaii as the first ‘intern’ for AccesSurf; right now it is my third time back. Working behind the scenes, contributing my skills so that AccesSurf can continue and hopefully extend their programs is what I am striving for. Grant writing becomes a different taste when you do it for AccesSurf, its worth every tiny effort.
What does AccesSurf to me? AccesSurf is a true Hawaiian Ohana, and I am blessed to be part. It´s like having the positive aura of Cara multiplied by a million. Selfless people and amazing personalities with the best smiles, such as Candy. I wish to surf better every Day at the Beach, only so that I could actually take someone out in some Hawaiian waves – hopefully one day!
Simone, visiting AccesSurf Okinawa.
