This transcript preserves the speakers’ remarks from the recording, including statements about health and program plans at that time. For current support options, visit Resources.
Spoken remarks
00:09 How about a big round of applause?
00:16 Many of you already know me, but for those that don't, I'm John Anagnostou, Sam's oldest
00:22 brother. And we're all here today, family, friends, and neighbors, uniting around my little brother.
00:35 Today is a special day because it would have been Sam's 65th birthday. By you all being
00:42 here, we're honoring Sam, a man that for most of his life brought people joy in many different
00:49 ways. Sam made all of our lives better. We're gathered here in Capitola because Capitola
00:57 was where Sam loved to be. There's nothing more in his life than grabbing his surfboard,
01:03 his wetsuit, heading down to the beach. You look in the garage, you're going to see a picture
01:08 of that guy with his surfboard smiling. That's the Sam we're all going to remember.
01:16 And so in the spirit of my brother Sam, I want to present you.
01:46 This was a labor of love.
01:55 Now I want to tell you the story, what's happened since this creation. I met two, three wonderful
02:04 people who are now in my life, that are now in the Anagnostou family's life, and you're
02:08 going to meet them. Okay? And so one of them, I don't see him. Gordon, are you here yet?
02:14 Gordon couldn't make it. So I got a whole, I called Sam Kabert, who happens to be the father
02:21 of little Jimmy, Jamie's little boy. Sam, raise your hand. So I called Sam. I go, Sam,
02:30 I want to have, I want to commission a custom surfboard for my brother, for our family in
02:37 this front yard. So we had this designed and built. And while I was at his store, there
02:44 were kids that are going by that you could see depression. You can see stress that are in
02:48 these young people. They're also, they're looking down at their phones. And my, my good buddy
02:54 who's here, Dr. Eric Weiss, who's on Sam's foundation. I started a foundation on behalf
02:59 of my, our brother and Sam, uh, who went through his hell. You know, Eric told me, John, you
03:07 do realize now there's 30 million teenagers suffering from depression and 20 million adults and less
03:16 and only 40% are seeking help. So, so with that in mind, I decided to form this foundation
03:24 with the idea of helping people help themselves. Because if you don't help yourself with this
03:31 horrible disease, you don't get out. But people need help. And we're going to, today is the
03:38 announcement of how we're going to help. Okay. So with that in mind, I decided that this surfboard
03:47 meant so much to Sam and the surfing society and how happy he was here, that some of these
03:53 ideas started coming to me. And with Gordon's input and ideas, we contacted some schools that
04:00 have surfing programs that don't have, that don't have surfboards and their boards are dilapidated.
04:07 So a brilliant surfboard designer who's here, his name is David Verner and David built this
04:14 custom surfboard. So how about a round of applause?
04:20 I found out that there are as more than 12, more than a dozen schools here in Capitola and Santa Cruz
04:29 that have surfing programs. And their equipment is not very good. Gordon and I started strategizing how
04:38 we could help schools and using Sam's new logo and his foundation to be the donors. So we have,
04:49 we've commissioned the first 12. There's only going to be seven because I have seven different members
04:55 holding these boards and where's Panos and George. I want you guys, please stand up there and grab a board.
05:05 So I'm only displaying eight of the boards, the other four in the garage. So
05:12 in honor of Sam Anagnostou, these 12 boards are going to go to the first school
05:21 donated by my brother Gus and myself. How about a round of applause?
05:33 And while we were doing this, I asked God for his help to help me do the right thing with this program.
05:44 So I ended up meeting Dan Redmond. You're going to hear what Dan Redmond is doing and who,
05:51 with the organization he started. Please Dan. All right. Everybody can hear me well? All right, cool.
05:57 Hey, my name is Dan Redmond. I'm a retired infantry and force reconnaissance officer from the Marine Corps.
06:02 When I settled down into this area about eight years ago, I started getting involved with an organization
06:09 at the time called Veterans Surf Alliance. I quickly in my spare time decided to help run that organization.
06:16 I'm now the president of Veterans Surf Alliance and wanted to tell you real quick about what Veterans Surf Alliance is.
06:23 First off, I'll just remind everybody, since about 2001, we've had 30,000 active duty service members, veterans,
06:34 take their lives. And only about a third of that, so about 10,000 service members have died in combat or on deployments.
06:43 So it's a bad sickness, a thing that's occurring that veterans are bearing the brunt of because they're exposed to very traumatic incidents
06:53 and deployments in their lives that they can't handle. We try to solve for that in the Veterans Surf Alliance
07:01 by giving them purpose, a new mission, give them a new thing that they can conquer.
07:08 The surf, who's a surfer out here? We have very few. So let me tell you, surfing is hard.
07:16 The conditions change. The ocean is tough. It kicks your butt, right?
07:22 But if you give a military service member, a veteran or first responder, if you give them that mission,
07:27 you facilitate them having the right equipment, you teach them the right way through coaching
07:32 and provide them the safety structure and then teach them about the elements and how to accomplish that mission,
07:39 it gives them new purpose in life. And so that's what the Veterans Surf Alliance does.
07:43 We provide community for veterans through the surf.
07:46 So we try to facilitate them having all the right coaches, equipment, safety structure,
07:50 and get them together at least once a month, but ideally on a weekly basis to help them understand that mission
07:56 and get together with like-minded people, and we match that with our community.
08:01 And so a lot of people from our community help the organization as well.
08:04 So we are trying to combat what I feel like is a mental health issue in this world,
08:10 and we're specifically trying to target veterans and first responders to help them with those things.
08:15 So that's my organization.
08:19 Stay here. Stay here, Dan.
08:24 So in honor, in honor of our father and my uncle Chris, we are donating 10 surfboards,
08:35 the first round of surfboards from my brother Gus and I to the Veterans Surf Alliance.
08:42 Thank you, Tom.
08:43 Thank you, Tom.
08:52 Sam, we love you.
08:55 All right.
08:59 There's a famous Greek Orthodox priest, Father Anthony Castoris.
09:03 He told me when I was 18 years old, he said we were at a funeral, and it was a tragic funeral.
09:10 And he told me that, John, disease comes from being dis-at-ease.
09:17 Dis-at-ease comes from stress.
09:20 Stress comes from the inability to make a decision.
09:25 And our brother Sam got afflicted with this disease.
09:30 And it was tragic to watch him live in this world of I can't.
09:35 And we watched this guy all his life.
09:38 All of you that know Sam, he was an I can guy.
09:43 Do we agree?
09:47 So starting today, I'm launching I can.
09:59 So the t-shirts aren't here.
10:03 Damn it.
10:04 They're coming tomorrow.
10:06 I called the company.
10:07 I goes, I'll pay extra.
10:09 They go, sure, we can't.
10:10 I'll pay triple extra.
10:12 We can't.
10:13 So I had, I had, look at, the guy that couldn't be here, his name is Robert Kang.
10:22 Robert designed that surfboard.
10:24 Robert designed those less expensive surfboards than that one.
10:28 And he designed this for me and that logo because he loves Sam.
10:32 So starting today, we're launching I can.
10:37 Yes.
10:38 Yes.
10:39 I can.
10:40 I can.
10:43 So they won't be available till tomorrow.
10:47 But we'll, but we'll, and again, the cost is a little under $20.
10:52 And Sam's foundation is not going to, it's going to be about helping people help themselves
11:00 and I can.
11:01 So I want to start, starting today, an I can movement.
11:05 I want to see young people.
11:07 I want to see people that we know wearing that t-shirt because I want you to know when
11:11 you wear that, I've already envisioned these things, you guys.
11:14 I mean, I'm, God has said, John, do it.
11:16 They're all going to, when you wear that, people are going to be going like this, smiling,
11:21 whoever they are, whether you're wearing it or they're wearing it.
11:25 So with that being said, let's honor my brother.
11:29 And a closing statement I want to make is words from Robin Williams.
11:34 Robin Williams, closing words in his life.
11:36 He said, he said, I discovered throughout my long life, my beautiful life, that the most
11:43 important thing in life is others.
11:46 Let's honor others and honor my brother by spreading this news about I can.
11:52 Thank you very much.
11:55 You guys, my good buddy Sheldon and Dave Snow have a band.
12:01 It's the Wesley Snow Band and they did something for Sam that you're about to hear.
12:07 Please.
Closing music
12:28–13:49: closing song performance. Lyrics are not transcribed.