Former world champion surfer Shaun Tomson will share his personal experiences coping with loss and discuss the importance of hope and purpose during the grief process June 5 at The Light Shines Ahead luncheon, hosted by Compassionate Care of Carpinteria (CCC), an initiative of Hospice of Santa Barbara.
Tickets are now available for the luncheon, which will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 5, at the Rincon Beach Club, 3805 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria.
The event will benefit CCC, which offers bereavement services, patient care management services, educational workshops and more, free of charge, throughout Carpinteria. All CCC services are offered in English and Spanish.
Since losing his son Mathew in 2006 in a tragic accident, Tomson built a new life and now talks across the world to corporations, universities and schools about the influence of positive purpose on success in life and business based on his own experiences of overcoming the challenges of grief, despair and lack of hope.
“When I was introduced to Hospice of Santa Barbara, I was absolutely blown away by what they do for people in our community … and at no cost,” said Tomson. “I knew I wanted to help them any way that I could.
“If they can ease the pain and suffering of others who are feeling the same pain my wife Carla and I experienced when we lost Mathew, well, that is a tremendous service to people in desperate need of support and love.”
An author, entrepreneur and filmmaker, Tomson has inspired and touched the hearts of audiences as large as 3,000 people, has shared the stage with well-known personalities including Sir Richard Branson and Malcolm Gladwell, and inspired corporations like General Motors, Cisco, Price Waterhouse, Gap, Disney and Google.
Tomson said his most recent book, The Code, is dedicated to his son and can be applied to kids and adults alike. The Code encourages readers to get to their true core values by writing 12 sentences that begin with the words “I will.”
When people actively search their souls and put pen to paper about what is meaningful to them, it can re-shape the rest of their lives.
Compassionate Care of Carpinteria provides services to adults, children and seniors who are facing life-threatening illnesses or grieving the death of a loved one. CCC’s offices are located at the Carpinteria Children’s Project.
For tickets and information, visit www.compassionatecareofcarpinteria.org or call 805-563-8820.
A former World Surfing Champion, Tomson was named one of the 10 Greatest Surfers of All Time and one of the most influential surfers of the century by Surfer Magazine.
He has a bachelors degree in business administration, and a masters of science in leadership, and has created two apparel brands, Instinct and Solitude (co-founded with his wife Carla).
Tomson is a past board member of Surfrider Foundation and the Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club, and is an ambassador for the nonprofit organization Boys to Men. He lives with his wife Carla and 9-year-old son Luke in Montecito.
For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, including volunteer opportunities, call 805–563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.
— Andy Silverman for Hospice of Santa Barbara.