After bidding my car goodbye (for the meantime) and clawing my way out of the desert, I bombed back to the coast just in time to make the Liquid Nation Ball 8. Hosted by Reef co-founder Fernando Aguirre at his waterfront La Jolla home, the attendees were a mix of surf industry elite, board/art collectors and ocean loving do-gooder's.
As one of the largest fundraisers for the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association's (SIMA) Humanitarian Fund, the night's auction featured an array of rare surf art, collector's items, and exotic surf trips. A one-of-a-kind hand-shaped Jed Noll balsa board paired with limited edition Greg Noll jail-house trunks, signed by the legend himself, was one of the top bid packages bringing in $10,000 for the 13 featured charities in attendence.
Aside from being a kick ass party with tasty hawaiian style bbq, hearty tequila concoctions, and relaxed ocean grooves- Liquid Nation also honors those people who make a genuine positive impact on the greater surfing community as a whole. This year's SIMA Humanitarian of the Year Award was presented to Shaney Jo Darden (blurry picture above), Co-Founder and CEO of Keep A Breast Foundation.
For those of you who don't know and aren't sporting the incredibly trendy "I Love Boobies!" bracelet- found in boutiques, surf and board shops nationwide- Keep A Breast is a non profit working to "eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support".
The ever-bubbly Shaney Jo was introduced by her close friend, X-Games personality Sal Masekela. Sal spoke admiringly of her energy, love and dedication to increasing breast cancer awareness among kids- no small feat when considering that she has effectively made young people pay attention to and engage with a traditionally avoided or taboo subject. Marketing genius-- I think so.
Fernando Aguirre in his pink (breast cancer awareness) $$ pants introduces the Noll board
Sal Masekela presents Shaney Jo Darden
Jed Noll with his hand-shaped balsa board
Check out the woven stringers and detailing-- I'd like two for my kitchen
Boards and one-of-a-kind memorabilia hang from every wall and ceiling in the Aguirre Household
