AmpSurf - Focused on Abilities
In briefAI summary — tap to read
AmpSurf promotes adaptive surfing therapy for people with disabilities worldwide, combining surf instruction with rehabilitation to help participants focus on their abilities rather than limitations. Founded in 2003 by Dana Cummings, a leg amputee who learned to surf post-injury, the organization operates through volunteer-driven clinics, partnerships with the VA and other nonprofits, and serves veterans, children with special needs, and competitive adaptive athletes. The organization is expanding globally through instructor training partnerships and will host the World Para Surfing Championships in Pismo Beach in December 2024.
Key takeaways
- AmpSurf teaches adaptive surfing to veterans, children with special needs, and competitive adaptive athletes through certified instructors trained in partnership with the International Surfing Organization.
- The organization remains volunteer-based and grassroots while operating nationally, deliberately minimizing paid staff to keep resources focused on program delivery rather than overhead.
- Adaptive surfing therapy addresses physical, behavioral, mental health, and cognitive disabilities by modifying the sport to meet individual needs and teach lifelong skills.
- AmpSurf has trained instructors in 30 countries and partners with major organizations including the Department of Veterans Affairs, local Rotary clubs, and the International Surf Therapy Organization.
- Volunteers do not need surfing experience to participate; beach support roles like check-in, hydration, and towel service are essential to clinic operations.
About Dana CummingsDana Cummings lost his lower left leg in 2002 and learned to surf four months later, inspired to found AmpSurf in 2003 to teach others that adaptive surfing is possible regardless of disability.
AI-generated from the meeting recording — AI can make mistakes, so check the recording for anything important.
Meeting for the week of September 06, 2021 - September 12, 2021
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: AmpSurf - Focused on Abilities
Speaker: Dana Cummings
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Welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
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Hi everyone,
Welcome to this week’s meeting of the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
September is Basic Education and Literacy month on the Rotary calendar and this is a great opportunity to focus on the work that our club and members have done in this area. Most of our members and many of our guests that have attended our weekly meetings will be aware that education is a key area of interest for our club, and many of our weekly programs feature guest presenters discussing the topic of education.
Our involvement with education also extends to many of our projects, including Laptops for Good, which provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds, that are leaders in their community, with a laptop and accessories to help them succeed with their studies as they transition to college; and our Global Grant project which is helping provide a school in Soda, Ethiopia, with a wide range of facilities and resources to assist its students with their education.
These projects - and others - are only possible through the hard work of our members and funds from The Rotary Foundation. If you would like to support these projects, please consider making a contribution to the club via the Happy Dollars form below, or by making a donation to The Rotary Foundation, by clicking the link below:
https://my.rotary.org/en/donate
These projects are only two examples of the many ways that Rotarians can get involved to Serve to Change Lives, so please know that your support helps Rotarians from around the world to make it a better place.
Brett Sham
President, Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
president@siliconvalleyrotary.com
Guests, we are happy to have you join us this week!
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Of the things we think, say or do
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Is it the TRUTH?
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Is it FAIR to all concerned?
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Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
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Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Weekly Funny with Shags
We believe laughter is an important part of life, and we should all make time to laugh a little. This segment of our meeting is meant to tickle you just enough. These funnies are curated by member Steven "Shags" Shagrin !
Essential Laws of Human Nature!
Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.
Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible place in the universe.
Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal - and someone always answers.
Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).
Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know INCREASES dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, IT WILL!!!
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Finding something you love to do is no small part of leading a happy life. It's all the cooler when one figures that out at a young age, and pursues it to the point you truly develop some expertise. This is a story from right here in the Bay Area, and a thanks goes to Cal Mann for sharing it!
Through a Rotarian's Lens
Sometimes a photo can capture an amazing moment. In this section Member Keith Marsh shares his incredible photography!
If you'd like to submit a photo for this section please contact Keith.
This photo of the old church in Tiburon was taken in 2010 well before the Sales Force Tower was built in San Francisco. I waited for the boat to enter the frame to complete the composition with a good foreground, middle ground and back ground.
Learn something new
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How do they make it?!?
Ice Cream Cone Time! Last in this series of "How..."
Relay for Life
Hi, everyone!
Starting this week, we'll begin our annual project to raise funds to fight cancer through research, programs for survivors and caregivers, and more. As mentioned in last week's email, there are several ways you can get involved. We'll highlight your efforts as we go, but note that there is an especially simple way to take part.
Send a message of support like this:
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Feel free to honor someone you know who is fighting cancer, or remember someone you've lost. You can leave a message in the Disqus section below, or email Rushton, or if you have the means, you can donate via this Relay for Life page (main.acsevents.org/goto/rushton). If I haven't found a way to fix it, the page will say, "Robert's Page," but that's me. (My middle name is Rushton.)
Members, watch for more info via email and in the weekly meetings.
Thank you for helping our club and the Rotary community fight cancer!
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Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Our events & projects
We hold our meetings online, but we do regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley! The section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of the events and service projects listed here.
Upcoming events
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Happy Dollars: do good by sharing something good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it’s appropriate!)
Here are the happy dollars contributions from last week!
This section is usually updated in the early hours of Saturday, so contributions made over the weekend may not be listed here.
Nan Herron made a $20 donation.
I’m so happy about some of the friends that I have met in this club. I keep forgetting that I have never actually met them in person, because I feel so close to them, love them, and look forward to seeing them up on the screen at every meeting and in between.
Rory Olsen made a $20 donation.
The heatwave is slowly going away. All is well. Please apply my gift to Polio Plus.
Program: AmpSurf - Focused on Abilities
Speaker: Dana Cummings
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education, and how those contribute to service to others.
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley seeks to explore perspectives on service from across the world. The views of the speakers in our programs are their own, and unless stated otherwise, are not necessarily reflective of the views of our eClub nor Rotary International.
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AmpSurf is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting all people with disabilities through the healing power of Adaptive Surf Therapy and the ocean. AmpSurf teaches and supports the beginner, as well as those who are at the pinnacle of the sport, by providing Learn to Surf clinics and contest events for adaptive athletes to compete in.
Dana grew up on a farm in rural Maine. Later, he served 6 years in the Marines including service in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In late 2002 Dana lost his lower left leg in a car wreck. Four months after his accident, Dana learned to surf. He then founded The AmpSurf, Learn to Surf program in early 2003 to help rehabilitate the disabled through the healing power of adaptive surfing and the ocean.
Dana is a certified adaptive surf instructor and developed the program used by the International Surf Association (ISA) to teach adaptive surf coaches worldwide. He is also a team rider and member of USA Surfing and has been representing USA Surfing in Global competitions since 2019. Dana partnered AmpSurf with the ISA in 2020 to hold the 2020 AmpSurf ISA World Para-Surfing Championships in La Jolla, CA.
Dana has been recognized for his work with the disabled and with veterans several times, including being named a CCN Hero, a California Veteran of the Year, and Patriot of the Year. Dana also coaches youth sports and has 5 children.
Members and guests, please welcome Dana Cummings!
To learn more:
AmpSurf website: www.ampsurf.org
AmpSurf on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ampsurf.org
Clinic News Release AmpSurf ISAWPSC 2020 Clinic: http://youtu.be/Vdt07OovXhw
Day 3 Insta - AmpSurf ISA 2020WPSC: http://youtu.be/PsBmvk5W9Rg
Upcoming program recording schedule
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always http://zoom.siliconvalleyrotary.com/. You are welcome to join us! Please note the timezone listed for all recordings is US Pacific Time (San Francisco, California, USA).
If you can’t join the live recording, please send your questions for an upcoming speaker to programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
