This year marks the inaugural year of Orlando Health’s sponsorship of the Surfing Santas event. Daniel Hodges, Chief Financial Officer for the East Region at Orlando Health and an avid surfer himself, participated in this year’s event. Orlando Health acquired the Sebastian River Medical Center last September.
Over 12,000 spectators descended upon Cocoa Beach to cheer on more than 400 surfers braving the Atlantic Ocean in festive St. Nick attire.
The event, celebrating its 16th anniversary, achieved a record-breaking fundraising total of $100,000 for charity, bringing the cumulative total since 2013 to over $400,000.
All proceeds support the vital work of local organizations, including Grind for Life, which provides crucial financial assistance to cancer patients and their families facing the challenges of long-distance travel for healthcare.
The Florida Surf Museum, dedicated to preserving Florida’s unique surfing heritage, and several local school sports teams also benefit from the event’s generosity.
