The Right to Play for Kids Who Rarely Get the Chance
Miracles for Kids, a Southern California-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting families with critically ill children, is partnering with Waves of Impact and local OC and LA volunteers to host its 14th Annual “Surf & Paddle” Summer Camp. These unforgettable events give pediatric patients and their families a rare chance to trade hospital rooms for ocean views - to learn to surf or paddleboard, play games in the sand, enjoy lunch, and experience moments of carefree joy, all at no cost to them.
For many of these children, long hospital stays, surgeries, and treatment regimens have stolen the simple joy of summer. These free camp days offer what every child deserves, but few receive when facing life-threatening illness: the right to play, to feel the sun on their face and the sand between their toes, and to just be a kid! Working together, Miracles for Kids and its sponsors provide families the chance to hit pause on lives filled with extraordinary stress…and simply enjoy each other in a setting of sun, surf, and smiles!
The 14th Annual Miracles for Kids “Surf & Paddle” Summer Camp – a powerful three-part series of beach and water events that offer respite, recreation, and pure joy to families living with the daily challenges of pediatric critical illness. From paddleboarding and kayaking at Newport Aquatic Center to surfing, sand castle building, yoga and beach games at Bolsa Chica State Beach, these events are life-affirming opportunities for kids to feel like kids again.
These miracle families are battling not just illness, but the emotional, physical, and financial toll it brings. A simple day at the beach, one most take for granted, can mean the world to a child who spends most of their time in hospitals and waiting rooms. These events give families a chance to breathe, laugh, and build memories together. For child patients and their siblings, it’s a rare moment to escape the burdens of their diagnosis and feel carefree, empowered, and seen.
Paddle Camp 1
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Newport Aquatic Center | 1 Whitecliffs Dr, Newport Beach, CA
Paddle Camp 2
Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Newport Aquatic Center | 1 Whitecliffs Dr, Newport Beach, CA
Surf Camp
Date: Friday, August 8, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Tower 21 Bolsa Chica State Beach | Huntington Beach, CA
ABOUT MIRACLES FOR KIDS: Miracles for Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving children with life-threatening illnesses and the families that care for them. With programs launching in 2004 and led by Co-Founder & CEO Autumn Strier for 21 years, the organization creates stability for families that are crumbling from the financial and emotional devastation of fighting for their child's life. With programs providing financial aid, basic needs, housing, and wellness to patients and their families, Miracles for Kids fulfills a mission to help caregivers battle bankruptcy, homelessness, hunger, and depression, so they can concentrate on what matters most. In 2024, 84.2 cents of every dollar collected was spent on programs that directly benefit the families they serve. Based in Orange County, California, Miracles for Kids currently serves families in treatment at CHOC Children’s, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, Rady Children’s, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, By the Bay Health, City of Hope, Loma Linda University Hospital, Dallas and Phoenix Children’s Hospitals. Follow on Instagram@MiraclesForKids to see how you can make a difference and get involved at MiraclesForKids.org
Cher Murphy
President of Cher Murphy PR
T: 571.263.2128