For Tory Strange, surfing has always been more than a sport. After losing his father at age 13, he found his way to the beach, paddled into the ocean and discovered the kind of peace that only saltwater can offer. “All the different stresses of life go away,” he shared. That lifelong love eventually grew into The Surf Station, and later, into a bigger dream; a foundation built to give back to the community that had given so much to him.
The Surf Station Foundation began as an idea Tory had carried for years. During the slower days of COVID, His wife Melissa turned that dream into action, handling the legal work to establish the public charity. Through surf camp scholarships, the foundation helps children from underserved communities experience the confidence, freedom and joy that come from catching a wave. Working with local partners, including Care Connect, Fostering Connections, and St. Augustine Youth Services, the foundation connects children with opportunities to get in the water at no cost.
For Tory, the purpose is personal. “Every kid should have the chance to fall in love with the ocean like I did growing up here in St. Augustine,” he said. More than simply teaching kids how to surf, the foundation hopes to inspire environmental awareness, improve emotional and physical wellbeing, and show children that balance can be found, sometimes quite literally, on a wave.
Now, the invitation is for the local surf community to rally around the cause and help compound its impact. Just as The Surf Station has long been a gathering place for surfers, the foundation creates a way for that same community to extend the gift of surfing to more people. The shop helps fund the mission, but the heart of it is collective: volunteer instructors, retired surfers, web designers, event coordinators and anyone with a willing heart can play a part in sharing the stoke of surf with the next generation—one lesson, one wave and one child at a time.
