HAWAII — Bethany Hamilton, now 21 years old, suffered a viscous shark attack on Oct. 31, 2003 that would leave her with no left arm. The vivacious young surfer didn’t let that stop her from chasing her dream of becoming a professional, however. To learn more about the attack, visit our story here.
Amazing and inspiring both in and out of the water, Hamilton has created the Friends of Bethany Hamilton (FOBH) non-profit that is “dedicated to sharing the hope and love of Jesus Christ worldwide by supporting and inspiring people through the life stories of Bethany Hamilton and others,” according to her website, friendsofbethany.com.
FOBH supports survivors of shark attacks, as well as amputees, by offering prayer, connecting with agencies who offer resources to amputees, sending “encouragement packages” to recent shark attack survivors and struggling amputees, and showcasing inspiring stories through movies, projects, and activities.
Encouragement packages include important information regarding connections for prosthetics, a personalized note of encouragement and a copy of Hamilton’s book Soul Surfer and/or Heart of a Soul Surfer DVD.
FOBH’s most recent campaign, Help Inspire 2011, supports amputees and shark attack survivors by sending out encouragement packages and by providing medical scholarships to cover the cost of prosthetics, and scholarships for students. Beginning in 2012, FOBH will award four deserving high school seniors in the community of Kauai with scholarships. Applications for the scholarship will be made available in Jan. 2012. Recipients will be announced in either April or May.
The goal is to raise $30,000 by the end of the year. To raise money for the fundraiser, Hamilton is auctioning off one of her XTR closed cell foam surfboards. The surfboard is in new, unused condition and is inscribed with the words, “For Bethany” at the foot. The auction began Dec. 1, and will run through Dec. 31.
We continue to applaud Bethany Hamilton for all of her work in the community and world-wide.
- To participate in the auction or to learn more about FOBH, please visit: http://www.friendsofbethany.com
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