Surfboards, wetsuits and camaraderie were all around as the Coachella Valley Surf Club (CVSC) donated much-need equipment to the East Valley Board Riders Surf Club at Desert Mirage High School on December 6, 2019.
This is the email sent by CVSC founder Dave Hilts:
Happy Holidays to all CVSC members, friends and family.
Sorry for the late update on our meeting with the East Valley Board Riders Surf Club at Desert Mirage High School.
First, I want to thank our members who donated equipment and especially to Mike Cannon, Jim Lattis and Guy Takayama who drove from the coast to be with Denice and I to deliver the equipment. Everyone met at my home in Palm Desert and after lunch we caravanned out to the East Valley driving through the farmlands that dominate where many of the students’ families live and work.
When we arrived. we were greeted by most of the 40 plus students in the surf club. They took us to the office where we met the principal and then the kids took us on a tour of the campus.
Desert Mirage High School in Thermal is a really nice modern school with many amenities including a swimming pool where the club members practice paddling. While we were walking we spoke to many of the students about their plans for the future as many of them are graduating. They are all really nice polite people and were so thankful to us for providing the equipment. Because we are at least a year away from the first wave pool being completed, their teacher, Krysten Gonda, takes as many of them as she can to the beach once a month. Krysten is wonderful for taking on such a responsibility but when she became hooked on surfing she wanted to share it with her students.
After that we walked out to our cars and pulled out all the boards and wetsuits, the students all helped carry the equipment back into the main courtyard. We took some photos and then said our goodbyes and headed home. We all felt really great and happy we were able to help out.
I look forward to doing more for the students of the Coachella Valley and introducing surfing to a community of kids where surfing was never available to many of them. With all your help I know we can make this a reality.
Happy Holidays,
Dave Hilts
Lean more about the East Valley Board Riders and their mentor, Krysten Gonda here. And, stay current about all the CVSC events and activities by subscribing to our newsletter: click the "Subscribe" box at the top of the page or go to signup page. Your email address will be private, secure and not shared with third parties
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