Switchfoot sponsors annual concert and surf contest

ENCINITAS — Multi-platinum rock band Switchfoot presents its fifth annual charity surf contest from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and concert from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. June 27 at Moonlight Beach to benefit StandUp For Kids. The entire concert will utilize enviro-friendly sound and staging. The day will end with an after-party hosted by Switchfoot with special guests at 8 p.m. at The Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros. Ticket information will be posted soon at www.bellyup.com.
A pre-event auction night soiree is also planned to raise additional funds for StandUp For Kids at 6 p.m. June 25 at a private home in La Jolla. Ticket information will soon be posted at www.switchfoot.com/bro-am.
The annual concert and contest event is near and dear to Switchfoot’s hearts and was created to give back to the San Diego community while also benefiting a local children’s charity through funds raised at an auction night event, as well as from vendors at the beach day, sponsorships, and the after-party. StandUp For Kids is a national nonprofit volunteer outreach organization that started in San Diego and is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of at-risk, homeless, and street kids. For more information, visit www.standupforkids.org.
“The Bro-Am has been my favorite day of the year ever since we started it back ’05,” said Switchfoots’s Jon Foreman. “To see our hometown come together to help out a deserving group of kids is an incredible experience — surfing, music, and the San Diego scene at its best. We feel truly honored to again partner with StandUp For Kids, an incredible organization serving at-risk youth here in S.D.”
“The Bro-Am event changed our chapter, our kids, and our volunteers last year,” said Kim Goodeve-Green, director of center operations for the Oceanside branch of StandUp For Kids. “Not only did it raise crucial monetary support that we used to expand programs for our kids, but it increased awareness of who we are, and this in turn generated more volunteers, more support, and more community involvement. We need your help now more than ever. We’ve seen a rise in numbers and are currently servicing more than 50 kids each night (at our chapter alone). These kids deserve to be loved, cherished, lifted up, and to stand up on their own two feet.”
The Switchfoot Bro-Am will again work with San Diego-based Sustainable Waves to offer solar-powered sound and staging. Sustainable Waves utilizes the renewable energy sources of the sun to deliver 100 percent pollution-free concerts. By using solar power rather than a diesel generator or grid power, the Bro-Am will avoid emitting approximately 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (the equivalent of not driving your car approximately 1,100 miles or the annual cutting of 66 trees).
The event is now accepting sponsors for this year’s event and the surf contest participants so far include riders representing O’Neill, Billabong, Transworld Surf, Walking On Water, Macbeth, Surf Ride, Surfcurls.com, Keep A Breast, Surfline.com, and Dental Specialty Associates, as well as professional surfers Timmy Curran and Rob Machado, and members of Switchfoot.
The free concert on the beach will feature performances by a number of local as well as national bands to be announced soon.