I had the recent pleasure of covering a day of fun and sun in Wildwood NJ at the Life Rolls On “Get On Board Tour.” Life Rolls On is a non-profit founded by Jesse Billauer. After he sustained a spinal cord injury while surfing, Jesse made it his mission to reach out and help others. LRO’s mission is to raise awareness, educate, and provide support through funding of spinal cord injury research.

There was an incredible turnout of volunteers and surfers, with smiles all around. Though I was familiar with LRO, I hadn’t yet been to an event. I fell into a quiet thinking mode during the day as I recorded the pure joy of wave riding. I aimed to capture emotion in journalistic style with a focus on water photography. We couldn’t have had a better weather day and the waves were perfect sized. Teams of volunteers were paired with riders and it was a collaboration effort to get someone surfing. Boards available ranged from longboards to WaveJets. Riders were all ages, from children to adults.  To see a list of events and how you can participate please check out the Life Rolls On homepage.