(PR) A host of surfers and celebrities came together to celebrate a quarter century of coastal preservation at the Surfrider Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala. Among the over 650 in attendance, were Incubus front-man Brandon Boyd, "The Hills" star Audrina Patridge, Sal Masekela and supermodel Carolyn Murphy. In total, the evening raised over $150,000 for the continued protection of our world's oceans, waves and beaches. "Our 25th anniversary gala brought together activists, musicians, artists, supporters, staff, and board members," says Surfrider Foundation's CEO Jim Moriarty. "It was great to see so many different people coming together and 'plugging in' to our mission and celebrating where we have been and where we are going."
The evening began with the presentation of the Surfrider Foundation's Art For The Oceans III. The auction, which featured twenty-five original works by a host of contemporary artists including Shepard Fairey, Raymond Pettibon, Thomas Campbell and Billy Al Bengston, raised nearly $100,000 for the Foundation.
Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 then took over on the mic to emcee the presentation of the Surfrider Foundation's Keepers of the Coast award. This year's honorees included actor David Chokachi, Incubus and Pearl Jam, who have all made significant contributions toward helping the Surfrider Foundation fulfill its mission of protecting our world's oceans, waves and beaches.
The evening concluded with a rocking performance by Camp Freddy. Joining core members Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Matt Sorum, Donovan Leitch and Chris Chaney on stage were Sum-41's Deryck Whibley, Evan Seinfeld from Biohazard, Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath, and 2004 Keeper of the Coast recipient Perry Farrell, who brought the house down with an amazing rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."
The money raised from Surfrider Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala will assist the organization with several new campaigns and initiatives that are set to launch in 2010, including its new integrated water campaign "Know Your H20," an increased effort to support the Santa Barbara Chapter's "Save Gaviota" campaign, and the Foundation's "Not The Answer" campaign, which seeks to prevent new efforts to expand offshore drilling along the nation's coastlines.
The Surfrider Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala was made possible by Brita Filter For Good and Barefoot Wine.
Media partner FUEL Television will air a special on the Surfrider Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala on November 23rd