–Surf organization helps sustain the communities of fabled surf spot–
Jackson, Wyoming – November 7, 2007 – Each year, The Alpinist Film Festival, which is held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, features one non-profit organization that works to preserve a place that inspires adventure athletes. To date, the AFF’s “Adventure Philanthropy Program” has resulted in the donation of more than $20,000 to organizations such as The Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation’s Khumbu Climbing School, the Central Asia Institute, and One Percent for the Tetons. Today, the AFF announced that SurfAid International will be the featured non-profit of the 2008 Festival.
Six years ago, physician and surfer Dr. Dave Jenkins went on a surf charter to Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands with one goal in mind: to find perfect waves. The surf proved to be everything he had hoped for. What he also found, though, were the Mentawai people–mostly women and children–suffering and dying from the ravages of malaria and other preventable diseases. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles and moved by compassion, Dr. Jenkins went on to establish SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs. With the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments, the global surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.
“SurfAid International is stoked to be chosen as the main beneficiary for such an amazing event,” said Brian Pickett, SurfAid International’s Development Manager, upon learning of the news of the AFF’s support. “The Alpinist Film Festival is a wonderful venue to build awareness and support for our effort to save more lives.”
Money will be raised for SurfAid International through silent auctions held throughout the three nights of the AFF. Additional ways of showcasing SurfAid International’s work are also being developed. In well as donating money on behalf of the organization, the AFF hopes to facilitate an increased awareness of SurfAid International’s work in the outdoor community at large.
Alpinist Film Festival Director Christian Beckwith said, “In such times of growing challenges to our planet, we all need to do what we can to help. For many adventure athletes, the most logical place to focus our attentions are the places we go to play. SurfAid International is a perfect organization for us to support, and a perfect example of how we can give back to the places of our inspiration.”
The Snow, Surf and Stone nights of The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival will be held January 17-19 at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, Wyoming. A fourth evening, The People’s Choice Ceremonies, will be held January 20 at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson. Tickets for The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival will go on sale in the coming weeks, and additional information can be found online at www.alpinist.com/film_festival or by calling the Alpinist Film Festival at (307) 734 – 0600.
About The Alpinist Film Festival
The Alpinist Film Festival celebrates the adventure lifestyle across disciplines and generations with three nights of film in skiing, surfing and climbing. The Festival’s mission is to advance the art of cinematographic storytelling as it underscores the unity among the adventure lifestyle communities. A portion of every year’s proceeds are donated to charities that help preserve the places of our inspiration. Because one of these places is our planet, beginning in 2008, the Festival will purchase carbon offsets to counteract its carbon footprint.
About Alpinist Magazine
Hailed by Italian climbing legend Reinhold Messner as “The best climbing magazine in the world today,” Alpinist Magazine is an archival-quality, quarterly publication dedicated to world alpinism and adventure climbing. The pages of Alpinist capture the art of ascent in its most powerful manifestations, presenting an articulation of climbing and its lifestyle that matches the intensity of the pursuit itself. Alpinist has been awarded three Maggie Awards, for Best Quarterly/Consumer Division, Best Overall Design, and Best Electronic Newsletter, and was featured in a seven-page article in Outside Magazine (“The Purists”) in March 2005. The magazine’s editorial and publishing offices are based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and online at www.alpinist.com.