Miracles for Kids hits the waves for summer Surf & Paddle camp
On what was a surprisingly overcast July afternoon in Newport Beach, children screamed and cheered as they vaulted across the sand and water at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina.
It was an ordinary sight for most beaches this time of year, but this day was special. The kids at the shore Thursday were hosted by Miracles For Kids, a nonprofit focused on providing aid to families with critically ill children that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
The foundation hosts a Surf & Paddle camp every summer to provide children they serve a chance to enjoy a day in the sun with their families.
“A lot of these kids have never been on a paddle board or they’ve never seen a kayak. So, it’s something new for them to have fun with. It’s the notion that we want to give a day of respite for their families, so they can get away from the hospital and medical appointments and that day-to-day normal that they’ve been experiencing for the past few years so they’re able to get out as a family and bond,” said Sapphira Roberson, community programs director for the nonprofit.
“A lot of families say that it’s been a while since they’ve had family time together, and we want that for our families to have fun and for the kids to do things that are quote, unquote normal for them to do,” she said.
Families are asked to drive down to the summer camp, but Roberson said the foundation endeavors to make every part of the experience free by providing gas cards to pay for the costs of the drive. Participation in the program is free for families in Miracles for Kids. The nonprofit will host other summer camp events in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach this year.
Seven families participated Thursday, limited by the number of people who could reasonably fit in an outrigger canoe that took the group to and from the Newport Aquatic Center.
Part of the day’s events were split between the center and the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina. Food was provided by the Stand restaurant.
Zachary Wishengrad, vice president of the Stand, said all 19 California locations of the restaurant will participate in a monthlong campaign between now and the end of August, with the company donating $2 to Miracles for Kids for every Cookies n’ Dreams milkshake sold during that time. Donations will also be collected online and at the cash register, with the Stand offering to match the first $10,000 in donations.
“For the last 20 years, we have been a family-run business, and we are incredibly excited to announce our partnership with Miracles for Kids, an organization that supports the families we care deeply about,” Wishengrad said in a statement.
One of Thursday’s participants at the Surf & Paddle camp, Alexander Hernandez, 9, he’d said he’d never been surfing before.
“This is my first time surfing. Next time will be my second time surfing, but we don’t know when,” Alex said. “I really like to do some events and other things at the beach because I really like to reach for the water. Well, even though I don’t want to go inside the water, I can go when it’s little waves or something. But deeper or something? I don’t know.”
He added that the next time he’s offered the chance to go paddling, he’ll be excited to join in on the fun.
Alex’s mother, Adilene Cano, said he was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia but is currently in remission.
Cano said she and her family had been involved with the foundation for about three years. She described the help given to them by Miracles for Kids.
“It’s easier for me with my family because, you know, I have a lot of appointments for my son in the hospital, right? I need to stay with him. I cannot work 100% right now, so I love [Miracles for Kids]. It’s given so much help to me and for my family. [Alex’s] been pretty excited. He loves the water. It’s a little bit scary ... but when I said, ‘Do you want to go?’ he said, ‘Yes, Mom! Yes, I want to go,” Cano said.
“He’s finished right now [with treatment], but you know that cancer, sometimes it comes right back,” she added. “But I’m crossing my fingers.”
Another mom, Betsy Espinosa, she said her family attended the camp two years ago but had to skip last year after her son, Jayden Zarate, had a leg surgery that prevented him from taking part in water activities. Jayden, who is currently in remission, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
“Jayden has been struggling for a couple of weeks with pain in his leg, so he’s getting distracted right now. At home, he’s crying, ‘My leg is hurting’ and I try to make him go outside and play so he could forget for a little bit, but he was excited to come again,” Espinosa said. “He gets to spend time like all the other kids.”
“It’s funny,” she said. “He’s allergic to fish. So, he saw one in the water and went, ‘Oh no. I’m not going over there.’ So they had to put him on a board and they paddled him over to [an inflatable water playset]. But every night [leading up to camp day] was, ‘Mom, it’s almost here!’ Last night, [my kids] couldn’t sleep until like two in the morning and I told them that we’d have to be up early.
“They were so tired, but they were just counting the days.”
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