TRANSFORMATION

One step at a time renovating the old neighborhood bar into a place of welcome for all young and old, hurting and in need, rich and poor.

The “BAR” – Surfing The Nations – Capital Campaign Phase One – $185,000

GOALS

1. To pay off the remaining $100,000. balance that is due December 2010 on Surfing The Nations purchase of the old neighborhood bar and 15 unit apartment building that has become STN’s headquarters, staff and intern housing, training center, outreach hub and lighthouse of hope in a hurting and beaten down neighborhood.

2. Renovation of the “Bar”

The “BAR” was built in the late 1930’s and was hit in the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941. The electrical and pluming have not been up dated since that time and must be replaced and brought up to code. Air conditioning is desperately needed for ventilation as there are no opening windows and for noise factors as 30,000 vehicles pass STN headquarters daily.

The building was literally kept in the dark. When we first took over the “BAR” in March 1, 2009 the few small windows and door were painted to keep out light. Neon beer signs sat in the window advertizing their top choices. The floor was carpet tile and wood with no real sense to made of where they started and ended. Large areas of the walls were missing. The walls and ceiling reeked of nicotine. It was nasty! Teams and individuals have given of themselves to scrape paint from windows, pull up flooring and carpeting, paint and replace walls and windows, scrub and then scrub again.

After the windows had been scraped of paint their appearance was of dark amber glass but as we began cleaning the windows it found that the amber glass was actually clear glass with years of nicotine coating.

COFFEE BAR . CONCERTS . AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING . HOMELESS FEED . INTERNET TRAINING . COMMUNITY EVENTS . DRUG AND ALCOHAL FREE ZONE. GATHERING PLACE

When the Renovations are completed all the words above will describe the “BAR”. The coffee bar will run five nights a week with concert and open mic nights regularly, promoting music and the arts. STN staff and interns will be able to tutor the at risk youth in the area with their studies and computer. It will be a safe place for one of many to gather free from drugs and alcohol. Community events will be common place. Hot meals will be feed to the homeless and those in need at least twice a week.
Capital Campaign – Phase Two – $1.5 Million

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND TRAINING CENTER

Surfing The Nations seeks to open a Community Outreach and Training Center, offering a social service program committed to changing a community in desperate need of breaking it’s destructive cycle and hopeless reputation. While living and working right in the center of a neighborhood in need of a positive change, Surfing The Nations will utilize it’s workforce of 50+ young surfers, who volunteer full time to serve and mentor those in need. We desire to use our passions and abilities to reach out as far as possible. Through support and resources the possibilities are endless!

NO ROOM

Our new headquarters are amazing. For the first time since the founding of Surfing The Nations, we have ample bathrooms, bedrooms, classroom and office space, and a big meeting room, the “BAR” – However, we are still in great need of space and resources to adequately meet the needs of STN’s Feeding The Hungry ministry.

FOOD PANTRY – STN needs to establish a food pantry so that the working poor, homeless and those in need would be able to pick up groceries when they need it most and not have to wait for a scheduled food distribution. The problem is that hunger does not operate on a schedule. Sometimes the only two options available for people in need is to either get food through assistance, or to break the law to get it. This has created a perpetuating cycle of desperation. The basic need of food should be available to all people. No one should go hungry.

STN will also distribute clothing, blankets, and household items through the pantry.

SALVAGING AND STORAGE – Presently STN is allowed the use of a warehouse in the Mapunapuna business district to store food for Feeding The Hungry, as well as a place to salvage the donations that are received and distributed to those in need. In April 2010 this warehouse will no longer be available to us. The ability to salvage and store what we distribute has been essential to allowing STN’s Feeding The Hungry program continue to run. The need for a new salvaging and storage facility is crucial.

INTERNATIONAL DONATIONS – Every international outreach trip, STN pulls together an assortment of donations through the generous giving of surf companies and individuals. We receive everything from surfboards, surf gear to an selection of needed personal items such as clothing, shampoo and toys for children. We fill as many suitcases as we possibly can and take them internationally to countries like Bangladesh, China and Egypt, that have nothing available to them. This is a huge part of our vision to take surfing to foreign countries and the underprivileged. STN would be severely crippled without an area to organize, pack and store donations. It is a year round operation.

NEW DEPARTMENTS

FAMILY RENEWAL CENTER – STN understands that taking care of one’s physical needs is just a start. The future complex would also provide a Family Renewal Center, a place for families and individuals to come in for a shower and time of refreshment. Many in the area are living in cars and on the sidewalks. With this facility we hope to give people the basic right to take care of themselves. Here they would be able to shower, shave, and even curl their hair. They could get ready for a job interview or even just bath their children in privacy of a home, not a beach shower. We see this as a place to allow them to refresh themselves to help build their self-esteem and worth. We would like to provide a safe place for children as well as adults to gather with the support of STN’s volunteers. Anti-drug materials, informational videos and children’s health awareness will also be available to encourage families to learn new skills and break out of the cycle of living day to day just to meet basic needs.

MICRO-ENTERPRISE TRAINING CENTER – STN would provide life skills training for a better future.

Surfing The Nations will feature its innovative new job placement and family welfare program called “LITE”: Leading Individuals to Employment. Attendees learn to prepare for employment through skills training in how to apply for a job, how to fill out an application form, dressing for success and handling the interview situation. This skills workshop will be conducted on site on a scheduled basis for Oahu residents who want to get a job.

STN will also offer English as a second language classes. As part of this effort, Surfing The Nations will utilize staff members who are certified in English as a Second Language as well as water safety and food service certifications to provide access to training and certification for ocean safety classes, food service training, self-sustaining gardening and community improvement.

THE CHANGE

Diverse. Colorful. Lush. Low-income. Multicultural. Drug-ridden. Beautiful. Tough. These words describe the culturally diverse lower Wahiawa.

This new facility would remove a major negative influence on the immediate neighborhood and community at large. The property is located right amidst the destructive influences of strip bars, pornography stores, drugs and prostitution. It would transform an atmosphere of violence and family stress into a rich community facility and resource. STN would be “onsite” to change the destructive nature of the community.

Surfing The Nations already serves as a change agent through its outreach to the working poor and their families. We are actively involved in our neighborhood with everything from mentoring at-risk youth to being a friend to the homeless, drug-abusers and prostitutes. The opportunities to make a positive impact are endless.

With the help of Surfing The Nations young adults, who are committed to “giving back,” the STN Community Outreach and Training Center will provide an opportunity for those in need to bolster their confidence in their abilities and self-worth. STN staff members will assist in developing necessary skills for a positive future. With new facilities will come new programs and opportunities to break the cycle of homelessness, violence and poverty that currently marks this Central Oahu community.