Photo: Dawn Doorley
For the past two years, 11-year-old Carter Doorley has put on his wetsuit and hit the waves every day. The fifth-grader from Brigantine, New Jersey, uses his surfing to raise money for charity —often surfing a wave for every dollar donated to his fundraisers.
“I’ve been trying to help a lot of people,” Carter tells PEOPLE. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Carter told his mom he wanted to try to surf every day for 100 days in a row. Then he kept going — on May 24, he will have surfed 730 days in a row.
“It blows my mind,” says his mom, Dawn Doorley, 43, who documents Carter’s surfs on Instagram (@CarterCatchesWaves).
On November 5, 2020, when Carter learned that the nonprofitFunny Farm Rescue & Animal Sanctuaryneeded money — he started a fundraiser for the rescue and pledged to surf a wave for every dollar donated.
Dawn Doorley
At the end of the fundraiser and several surf sessions later, Carter presented Laurie Zaleski, thefounder of Funny Farm, with a check for $320.
“It just snowballed from there,” his mom says of Carter’s fundraising efforts.
He has collected 2,639 canned goods for a local food pantry, raised $560 for theTrue Spirit Coalition, raised $1,500 forSurfAid, raised $150 forHeart of Surfing— which offers free lessons to children with autism and developmental disabilities — and raised $150 for theHumane Society of Atlantic County.
He also collected skateboards for his local skatepark and Valentine’s Day cards for active military members. Carter even cleans up trash he finds on the beach or in the water during his daily surfs.
Even during snowstorms, hurricanes, and the nor’easters, Carter continues to surf. His father, Andrew, is a lieutenant with the Atlantic City Fire Department and on the Brigantine Beach Patrol; he evaluates the waves, currents, and weather to ensure Carter stays safe.
“I am like having panic attacks, and he’s like, ‘One more. I’m fine. I’m fine,’ " says the boy’s mom. “He just is extreme to the extremist extreme. He just loves being out there, and he’s never scared.”
Carter’s goal is to do good and to encourage other kids to try to help others.
“It feels good to help people,” Carter says. “You’re never too little to help, never too little to make a difference.”
source: people.com
