A lot of community relationships make up AccesSurf and our friends at the Coast Guard base at Barbers Point are big part of our community. Eric Casida from the Coast Guard joined AccesSurf in 2016 and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since. We very sad to say goodbye to him as he and his family leave the island today for his next assignment in Florida.
Eric shares about what AccesSurf has meant to him as a volunteer with a personal story…
I started volunteering around summer of 2016, after being invited by another Coastie Larry Corrado. I had such a blast meeting all the participants and volunteers. It was such an awesome experience! I was sunburned and sore from running in the sand towing the Mobi chairs. I was hooked! I always told people it was the only time during the month I’d wake up early, well before my alarm, because I was just always so excited to go. I always volunteered in the transfers division (was never good enough at surfing to be one of the surf instructors!), it was always fun hanging out with Susan. She always seemed relieved to see me and other familiar faces that had been doing transfers before. It takes quite a bit of coordination with your transfer team to make it work safely and efficiently. I think I have the right personality and background in leadership with my job. I obviously love the water so being in the Coast Guard made sense and flying is what I was raised to be. I fly C-130’s doing Search and Rescue and all things Coast Guard. Surfing and paddle boarding, and boating are other things I love and so being able to give back to the community at the DATB was perfect way to let others enjoy the water too. Interestingly enough, I didn’t know it at the time when I began volunteering but as the years went on, my wife (Stasi) and I had the realization that we have a special needs son. We have had our challenges just as the other participants have. So being around other families has really helped me personally as well, just showing me to always make the best of any situation. Thank you for all the good times we got to spend together, I will definitely miss it. We are off to Air Station Clearwater Florida for my next assignment. Eric Casida- AccesSurf volunteer
