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  Last year's Liquid Nation Ball. All photos courtesy of SIMA.

The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s (SIMA) eighth annual Liquid Nation Ball will be held on Saturday, September 17th at the oceanfront La Jolla home of Liquid Nation Ball Chairman and Co-Founder, Fernando Aguerre. A limited number of tickets are still available for $300 per person, with all proceeds of the fundraiser going to 13 different surf-related humanitarian organizations.

 

Aguerre has hosted the event at his oceanfront home since its inception, after his brother asked him for help.

 

“On the very first one, in 2004, my brother asked me for help with this idea to fundraise for SurfAid. I told him, yes, for sure. And then he said, ’I need your home. You got the best one in La Jolla, on the ocean, and the boards and art make it the most fun surf museum in the world,’” Aguerre explained.

“I said, yes. But then as the party approached, he also asked me, ‘I’m going to have short live auction. I want you to be auctioneer.’ I told him, are you nuts? I’m always bidding, not auctioning… And he responded, that’s the point, you know how to do it. You can’t say no to your brother that is your best friend and your life long partner in all our business… So I said, YES.”

 

Aguerre also explained  why he decided to open up his home for the event. “Very simple: A home that is not shared with friends and extended family, a home that is closed to visitors, a home that does not get disrupted by parties, music, passion and celebration of life, is NOT A HOME, it’s just a bunch of bricks and furniture.”

 

“When all guests are gone, the floor is dirty (of course), but the walls don’t even have one scratch, nothing is broken. The guests are gone, but the great times had by them, leave behind good karma for the home, for my family. It’s kind of what happens in the good temples: The good vibes created and lived there, remain there for years to come.”

 

The deadline to buy tickets for the event was originally Friday, August 26th; however, Aguerre said the deadline has been pushed back a week to September 2nd and there are still approximately 100 tickets available. Each year the event sells out, and Aguerre hosts close to 400 people in his home.

 

Beneficiaries and Humanitarian of the Year

 

The Liquid Nation Ball serves as the annual fundraising event for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund, and over the past seven years, the SIMA Humanitarian Fund has raised more than $1.45 million for global medical relief, urban youth outreach, injury prevention and awareness, and health education and awareness. The Board of Directors hopes to raise a net amount of $200,000 with this year’s Liquid Nation Ball 8.

 

The 13 beneficiaries of the event include Keep a Breast Foundation, Surfer’s Healing, Life Rolls On, Jimmy Miller Foundation, AccesSurf Hawaii, Maull Ola Foundation, Best Day Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Outdoor Outreach, Stoked Mentoring, Surf Aid International, Sumba Foundation, and Waves for Water.

 

This year, the SIMA Humanitarian Fund Board of Directors selected Shaney jo Darden, Co-Founder and CEO of The Keep a Breast Foundation (KAB), as the 2011 Humanitarian of the Year.

 

KAB is a non-profit charity organization that aims to increase breast cancer awareness in young people through fundraising, art, and educational events.

 

“Keep A Breast started over 10 years ago because of the need to educate and inspire a younger generation about breast cancer prevention. I’ve had several people in my life and in my community that were struggling with the disease and I felt there was nothing out there for my generation to feel connected to,” Darden said.

 

“I knew I needed to do something that really resonated with myself and my friends…. and that’s when the first Breast Cast exhibition was born then it just grew from there.”

 

See page 2 for more on KAB and the Liquid Nation Ball 8…

 

 

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KAB is the organization behind the recently popular “I Love Boobies” bracelets, seen on youth and people everywhere. When asked about what inspired these bracelets, Darden responded, “We had been using I Love Boobies on Ts and saw a need for people to support their charities in a everyday item, to open up a dialogue about something that might be too scary to just start talking about. We’ve seen such amazing support from people all across the globe that really want to support a prevention based breast cancer campaign.”

 

“To date we’ve sold over 8 million of these bracelets,” she said. “I think many people appreciate our approach, being focused on youth, and prevention and reaching them through art, music and fashion.“

 

For the future of Keep a Breast, Darden hopes “to create a movement that continues to lessen cancer deaths. We believe everyone has the right to eat healthy food free of pesticides, hormones, and chemicals. I believe that products on our shelves should have higher standards and should be safe to use in our homes and on our bodies.”

 

Darden is the fourth humanitarian to be honored at the Ball by the SIMA Humanitarian Fund.

 

“Being honored by SIMA as the Humanitarian of the year is a huge honor and totally unexpected surprise. When Sean from SIMA called to tell me the news I screamed so loud I probably freaked him out,” Darden said.

 

In honor of the Darden, Aguerre promises to wear a “very special outfit” that will be auctioned off at the end of the live auction, resulting in him leaving the stage without pants or a shirt.

 

This year, the Ball will begin at 6:30 p.m. rather than 7:30 p.m. as it has in past years, so that guests can enjoy daylight, and then a classic California sunset on the ocean, Aguerre said.

 

The event will feature live music, an open bar, dancing, food catered by Guiseppe’s of San Diego, and a short live auction that will include Aguerre’s outfit of the evening.

 

Both the Grand Colonial Hotel, located in La Jolla, and the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla Shores are offering discounted room rates for Liquid Nation Ball guests. In addition, both La Costa Limousine of San Diego County and Beach Harbor Limousine of Orange County are offering discounted car service for Ball guests.

 

Attendees from Orange County also have the option of taking a complementary shuttle ride from either the Skullcandy Headquarters in San Clemente or Hurley International Headquarters in Costa Mesa to and from the event in La Jolla. Both shuttles will leave Orange County at 5:00 p.m. and return from La Jolla at 12:00 a.m.

 

“And if for any reason, you can’t attend, you could still buy tickets and give them to friends or people that have been very nice to you…” Aguerre said.

 

To purchase tickets for Liquid Nation Ball 8 or to make a contribution to the SIMA Humanitarian Fund, visit www.liquid-nation.com.