For those who have never made it to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas for the annual event we hope you will join the Surfers Unite crew next June. The official date for the Switchfoot BroAM should be released soon however on Saturday, June 21 more than 17,000 locals and folks from as far as Australia, Florida, Georgia, Texas and other regions descended upon Moonlight for the 21st Annual Switchfoot BroAM.
What on earth is the BroAM? Well it's a full day of surf contests, surf jousting knocking folks off boards with sticks and more than 5 hours of live music performed by local bands and headlined by Grammy Award alternative rock band, Switchfoot. The band has released 12 albums and performed since 1996 in secular music festivals and venues taking their positive message to the masses with hits songs like "Dare You to Move," "Stars" and "Dark Horses" just to name a few. Jon & Tim Forman, both graduates of San Dieguito started the BroAM in 2005 as a way to give back to the community they love and reach at-risk youth in our San Diego community. Annually the band and their sponsors generate over $200,000 for charity and the beneficiaries of this year's BroAM include: A Step Beyond, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Feeding San Diego, Monarch School, Rady Children's Hospital and Save the Music Foundation
Since 2009 Brett Morey, Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle and a group of friends have been assisting as volunteers at the BroAM. Brett founded Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship in 2017 with the support of Past District Governor Scott Carr and the crew has used the event as an opportunity for the family of Rotary to serve in various capacities as well as gather interest in Rotary, Rotaract and Interact. "Thanks to the help of outgoing District 5340 Membership Chair Ranjan Lahiri, the leadership team of District Governor Dianne Crawford, 2025-26 District Governor Luis Caranza and Zone 26/27 the $1500 sponsorship for the Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship tent at the BroAM Beachfest was covered and we had more than 40 volunteers helping throughout the event," says Brett Morey. "Really appreciated having Craig Schniepp from the Rotary Club of La Jolla and the La Jolla High School Interact Club assisting us as well as they brought a lot of energy and fun to the booth. The beachfest was absolutely bananas!"
One of the best aspects of having Surfers Unite involved in community outreach events is gathering interest in Rotary from those in attendance as well as sharing upcoming projects in which they can get involved. The BroAM is a family friendly event, and many folks make it an annual tradition. Over the next few weeks those who registered will be invited to check out local Rotary Clubs. For those who would like to invite friends in Rotary, friends in the surf community or potential Rotarians take a look at the amazing volunteer opportunities on the [www.surfersunite.org/events]Events page of Surfers Unite including Life Rolls On assisting disabled children and adults as they have the Huntington Beach event August 23 and La Jolla Shores September 13, the Supergirl Pro of Oceanside Sept. 19-21 and the 100 Wave Challenge for Boys to Men Mentoring in Mission Beach Sept. 27. Of course, if you wish to support the mission of Surfers Unite by becoming a Big Kahuna Lifetime member, a Regular or Lifetime member or purchase some awesome Rotary swag including embroidered hats, dri-fit shirts with UV50 or their new zip up hoodie sweatshirts simply visit www.surfersunite.org or text "SURF" to 858-602-2532. We encourage all Rotarians in District 5340 to get "On Board" with Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship as they have members in 32 countries and growing.