This past weekend OutdoorFest worked with NY Surf Chicas to put together a benefit for an incredible non-profit called Waves for Water. Here's a recap of the adventure there and the party that followed (spoiler: we raised $400 in cash + $200 in LuminAID lights for Baja)

Since the party didn't start until the evening, the OutdoorFest team committed our day to adventure. After gathering at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn we headed down the bike lane on Eastern Parkway and then heading South towards the Rockaways. Our route took us through Canarsie Park which is a hidden gem of Brooklyn. Native wetlands are preserved by the parks department - giving it a truly natural feel.

The park connects to the Shore Parkway bike path and brings you over Jamaica Bay.

We made it to the Rockaways... beach time!

After an awesome afternoon at the beach we got to enjoy an amazing Rockaway sunset.

Then it was fundraiser time so we headed over to Playland Motel to join forces with the leader of NY Surf Chicas Ruth and DJ extraordinaire Cindy for the Indian Summer Party.

Organizational team: Cindy (DJ), Sarah (OutdoorFest), Ruth (NY Surf Chicas)

The goal of the benefit was to bring together the NYC outdoor + surf community to raise money for people in Baja affected by the recent Hurricane Odile. As a community very recently devastated by a natural disaster during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, NYC surfers showed up ready to help alleviate the unwanted (sometimes) affects of coastal living.

DJ Cindy Kim making awesome beats happen!

Not only did a ton of local surfers show up but many organizations donated awesome raffle prizes including: Breakwater Surf, Mi Ola, Aegir, Matuse, Locals Surf School, York Surf, NY Surfing Buddies, NYC Urchin, and Lava Girl Surf.

We raised $400 from raffle tickets and LuminAID matched our light sales with $200 worth of solar powered lights being sent straight to Baja. Congrats to the raffle winners and THANK YOU to everyone who participated! If you weren't able to make it and still want to contribute, the fundraiser is still going on here.