Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wet Wednesdays
Aqua Surf Shop, S.F. This Wet Wednesday at da Riptide is for one of our FAVORITE organizations EDGEWOOD Center for Children and Families- do not miss it.
Jeff Grubler, the nicest bartender in da world is at it again, please come on down to da Riptide for a great cause. The Edgewood Center has been serving Bay Area children since the days of... the Gold Rush. They provide a range of services to help children, teens and families at home, in schools, the community and in residential treatment.
Admission is free, there will be free food and DJ Paul will get your booty shaking.
Surfpulse.com will host a raffle for a $450 gift certificate from Las Olas Surfboards and there will be other great prizes from cool local businesses like us, surf author Jaimal Yogis, Java Beach Cafe, Noriega Produce, The Pizza Place on Noriega, The Red Vic Movie House and Timbuk2.
Sierra Nevada is donating $1 for every pint of their beer sold that night, a portion of the tips will be donated and the Riptide is donating a percentage of the bar sales. Every Wednesday is Wet Wednesday at the Riptide, but the last Wednesday of the month is always a benefit for a nonprofit or worthy cause.
For more info on The Edgewood Center
http://www.edgewood.org
Posted by
Aqua Surf Shop on 03/30 at 04:02 PM
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
DR. Dave
Dr. Dave Atkin is da man! He is the current president of Operation Rainbow, a
NGO that provides free medical and surgical care for children in the developing world.
Recently Dave lead Operation Rainbow over to help out in Haiti. Attached is a letter and images Dave sent out to summarize a little about his recent experiences. I am proud to have such a friend represent our country in such a generous manner. Thank you Dave and to all that have such motivation coupled with giving hearts. If you would like to help Dave and Operation Rainbow in some capacity please contact them through their website
http://www.operationrainbow.org -
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I can hardly believe that only 2 weeks has passed since I last wrote,
In truth, it feels like a lifetime to me.
Our initial introduction to the hospital in Jimani, on the Dominican
border of Haiti, could only be described as “hitting the ground
running” as our sixteen member team was quickly integrated into the
existing volunteers. Our lead anesthesiologist assessed that he was
most needed as the director of a makeshift intensive care unit, our
internist, a calm and thoughtful individual, became the medical
director, our pediatrician immediately went in search of the children
, and the operating room personnel set up our two donated autoclaves
(sterilizing units) for surgery. For my part, the outgoing orthopedic
team, who had done outstanding work, signed out a service of 250
patients, many severely injured, and 15 surgeries yet to be done that day.
My co-surgeon, Dr. Chris Comstock , a Stanford trained pediatric
orthopedist, immediately began operating on the children and I on the
adults. His first surgery was Katsana, a 10 year old girl, who had
languished for three weeks with a broken hip, and whose surgery was
made possible when an operative X-ray unit was delivered from the US
the day before we arrived. When she finally crutch-walked on the
wards, she challenged all the other children to do the same, and they
did. She showed us indomitable spirit and went on to be an inspiration
to us all. Her mom told us that since her daughter had been hurt she
had been praying
for angels to come , and now they had arrived; there wasn't a dry eye
in the house.
As we obtained X-rays on all the patients, we realized the magnitude
of the injuries; spine fractures and dislocations, unstable pelvic
fractures in pregnant women, and badly displaced femur fractures. We
were able to contact the USNS Comfort, and soon thereafter Blackhawk
helicopters arrived to bring these patients to modern facilities where
they could receive sophisticated and definitive treatment. Our medical
director helped prioritize those patients most in need and we all
helped evacuate them.
As the days passed, we developed more efficient systems for
identifying and treating the injuries. We delved into the social
histories of the patients to identify the children who had lost
parents and the parents who had lost children. Dr. Karen Makely, our
pediatrician, immunized the children and created a pediatric ward
where children could be together in a brighter, more cheerful setting.
Her endeavors were accurately chronicled by ABC, and can be viewed on
the link:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=7256918
We were all impressed by the spirit and resilience of our Haitian
patients; we knew their names and many of their stories. We can still
hear the sound of their voices as they sing hymns in the evenings. For
us, as the week ended, we felt that we had not only become better
providers, but better people.
The need for orthopedic aid in Haiti will be enormous and we, the
members of Operation Rainbow, will be there. Thank you all for your
momentous support.
Please help us to continue helping those in Haiti.
God Bless,
Dave M. Atkin M.D.
Posted by
Aqua Surf Shop on 03/13 at 05:18 PM
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Tuesday, March 02, 2010
First Fridaze
It's a First Friday Party on Upper Haight (March 5th), after work take a stroll to see some live music, local art, sales, drinks and more-
We'll be having the O'Donnell Brothers who will be playing some traditional Irish folk music, drinks, and 20% off all clothing, sunglasses, and accessories- from 6 till 9pm. The O'Donnell brothers will start playing around 7:30.
Participating stores include-
Amoeba, Aqua Surf Shop, Booksmith, Soulpatch Tatoo, Offbeat on Haight, Buffalo Exchange, RVCA, Goorin Hat Co, Coffee to the People, with the after party at Milk. Visit Upper Haight First Fridays on Facebook for more info.
Posted by
Aqua Surf Shop on 03/02 at 11:37 AM
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