Help Ben Go 10.0 Fundraiser

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”   — John 15:13

 It is a beautiful act to lay down your life for a friend or family member, to replace your soul with theirs.  It is an entirely different act of love to lay down your life for a stranger.  A person you have no connection to.

On July 6th, 2014, that is exactly what lifeguard Ben Carlson did.  He gave the ultimate sacrifice for a stranger.  It was an oath he’d made when he became a lifeguard.  Day in and day out, watching over tens of thousands of souls.

After Ben’s selfless sacrifice, a community in mourning wanted a way to commemorate their hero.  The Ben Carlson Memorial & Scholarship Foundation was born.  The Foundation raises money through an annual paddle, spanning 32 miles from Catalina Island to Newport Beach, CA.  The proceeds raised from the event help working lifeguards further their education and provide lifeguard training to communities in other countries.

This year is the event’s 10th anniversary of the first Ben Did Go paddle event.  In those 10 years, the foundation has raised nearly a million dollars for its scholarship and training programs.

This year, I would like to raise $2,000 for the foundation to help them achieve their goal of $1,000,000.  NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL!.  I’ve been training for this event since November 2024; it is a challenge I feel deeply that God has called me to, and by helping an amazing foundation that honors an amazing sacrifice, I couldn’t be happier to paddle through the Catalina Channel to honor Ben Carlson.

Thank you all so much.  Aloha.