THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501130258
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
The Edge Restaurant in the 2100 block of Atlantic Ave. is a model business in terms of its genuine concern for our ocean and shore. Any business in this area is reliant upon the ocean to attract the summer tourist business. Many businesses around Virginia Beach have a theme of the ocean, but show no concern for the actual future livelihood of our beaches.
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit organization with the goal of preservation of the ocean, waves and beaches in their natural state, through conservation, research and education. This is not a radical-style environmental group, but a hands-on way for people to lend a hand toward what should be everyone's ultimate goal in this area: clean waves and beaches. Activities include quarterly beach cleanups as part of the city of Virginia Beach's adopt-a-beach program, weekly water testing as part of a national program called Clean Water 2000, outreach to all of the area high schools with respect to the beach program, storm drain stenciling and volunteer help with other area charities and individuals. The Surfrider Foundation is also a viable platform for beach residents to speak out to their City Council.
The Surfrider Foundation is completely volunteer, but has bills as does any serious non-profit organization. The Edge Restaurant has been the leading supporter in the entire Tidewater area for the years of 1992, 1993 and 1994: from supporting meetings with speakers as part of the speaker's forum, to general meetings with up to and over a hundred people at them, to donations from customers and from the owners, to sending out volunteers to give hands-on help, to Edge owner Alex Asercion's golf tournament with all of the proceeds going to the Surfrider Foundation, and with Alex and his crew doing all of the labor. The Edge even sends people to fund-raise at other businesses to show how genuine their support is.
The beach is a very serious part of the fiscal survival of the Tidewater area. There are many good groups around Tidewater with the Chesapeake Bay as their target to watch over. There is only one group, the Surfrider Foundation, which makes the beach its beneficiary. There are more than 300 members, and only a handful of businesses that consistently support the foundation's ongoing functions. Only one of those goes above and beyond what is needed, and that is the Edge Restaurant.
Randy Harris
Chairman
The Surfrider Foundation
Virginia Beach by CNB