The 2015 John Kelly Awards will be returning to beautiful Waimea Valley on November 14th. The annual fundraiser and awards ceremony honors leaders in environmental protection and pays tribute to the memory of legendary community organizer and activist, John Kelly of Save our Surf. The awards ceremony recognizes a local surfer, company, and lifetime achievement winners who embody the spirit, mana, and dedication of Mr. John Kelly.
Tickets and table sponsorship information are now available through our newly launched website: http://surfrider.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=853d89b073d10898959f50380&id=8e23bd605a&e=9415b60a10
We are delighted to announce an extraordinary group of winners for this year’s awards.
Our Lifetime Achievement award winner is legendary navigator and President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Nainoa Thompson. Currently sailing on Hōkūle`a as part of The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, Nainoa’s commitment and otherworldly energy to a cause of a more sustainable global community is unparalleled. We will be revealing more stories about all our winners on our new website in the coming weeks
The Environmentally Friendly Local Company winner is Heather Brown Art – Heather and her husband Chris have always been intricately involved in honoring John Kelly by creating beautiful works of art for the event (Including the beautiful image you see for this year), but their giving extends far beyond Surfrider in using an artistic vision to inspire a deeper commitment to preserving the sacred places that we all cherish here in Hawai‘i.
The winner of the Professional Surfer award is Ramón Navarro. Ramón is a Chilean big wave surfer who has wowed audiences at Oahu’s own Eddy Aikau contest, but is also an influential activist. His work outside of the sport has helped to preserve miles of the Chilean coastline and his story is chronicled in Patagonia’s recent documentary The Fisherman’s Son.
You don’t want to miss this fabulous night honoring such an amazing cast of influential people. We have much to celebrate, in addition to the extraordinary efforts of this year’s winners, our Oahu Chapter was vital in helping pass legislation that banned smoking on all public beaches as well as two bills designed to eliminate pollution associated with cesspool and storm water runoff. Our Supreme Court victory in the Kyo-Ya development case was a years long battle to preserve coastal protection and beach access laws. Our organization also launched the Blue Water Task Force for water quality testing, built 8 Ocean Friendly Gardens, cleaned thousands of pounds of trash off our beaches, trained citizens in civic engagement, and empowered thousands of volunteers all over the island.
Please join us for a night filled with festive music, delicious food prepared by Chef Thomas, lively libations, live art and entertainment, premier silent auction, and the company of our amazing community. Dance through the night with amazing beats from Cynth & the What’s His Faces and soulful funky grooves of Good Foot. Your support will ensure that Surfrider Foundation’s Oahu Chapter continues its mission of working to protect our world’s oceans, beaches, and waves.
Another way to support will be tonight November 13th, as Surfrider Oahu kicks off its John Kelly Awards weekend and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing with a launch party at Surfer the Bar $20 tickets at the door that go to benefit Surfrider’s mission of preserving our oceans, beaches, and waves.
With an amazing lineup to open the weekend with music from Foreseeable Futures, the Amanda Frazier Band & @Dj Godiva . In addition, as part of celebrating the impact that our John Kelly winners have on conserving our coastlines we will be screening Patagonia “The Fisherman’s Son” which chronicles the life and work of our Professional Surfer JK winner – Ramón Navarro.
It will be a great night to celebrate another year of coastal protections. Don’t forget to get your tickets to Saturday’s John Kelly Awards at Waimea Valley as well: http://surfrider.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=853d89b073d10898959f50380&id=2a95a84f3a&e=9415b60a10
