GoFundMe hits sixty-five k of hundred gee goal…
The great Pat Curren, just turned eighty-eight and living in an Encinitas carpark with his wife and special needs kid, has addressed surf fans who’ve so far contributed sixty-five gees of a hundred k goal via GoFundMe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuvgaBnUku/
But this is a story in three parts.
In part one, New York shaper Paul Schmidt bumps into the wife of big-wave surfboard design pioneer Pat Curren in Encinitas carpark. Is introduced to the legend, who also happens to’ve fathered a three-time world champ, and the pair hit it off. Moved by the family’s plight, which includes living in two vans in a carpark along with their special needs kid, New York shaper gets legend’s approval to launch a GoFundMe with a goal of a hundred gees.
“You can help raise funds to get a more permanent roof over their heads, room for them to breathe and get some much needed rest, health care, food, and space for Pat to work,” wrote Schmidt.
A common theme among comments on IG was, why aren’t his kids Tom and Joe helping the old man out.
In part two,
Pat’s second-most famous son Joe Curren responds on Instagram.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions and reading stories about a go fund me campaign recently set up for my dad asking for $100,000 to help him with financial issues. Yes, it’s true he’s struggling financially. The truth is, this has been going on for a long time.
We don’t know the person who started the go fund me. We first heard about the campaign Sunday morning on my dad’s birthday, after it was launched. We were surprised and disappointed that we were not notified about the campaign beforehand.
Comments revealed a friction between the family and GoFundMe organiser Paul Schmidt.
joecurren: @paul.surf We’re all having a difficult time understating why we weren’t contacted before this was launched.
paul.surf @joecurren I don’t think you are, I fully understand, and have explained in my past correspondence with you that this was a gesture made on behalf of your father and Mary, who are my friends. I was given permission by them to create the campaign and to post the story. They have had a hand in every step of the process. It was not my place to contact you, as I do not know you. If either Pat or Mary wanted to contact you, I imagine they would have. 50k and counting 🙂 we are excited for Pat and Mary to received some no-strings-attached help from all of the people in the community who support and care for them. 🙏
paul.surf @joecurren I’ll be sure to pass that message on to Pat and Mary for you.
joecurren I speak for the entire Curren family when I say, it would have been the right thing to do
paul.surf@joecurren not sure why you deleted your original comment, but again, I’ll be happy to pass that message on to Pat and Mary.
A few other readers turned on Schmidt, one writing, “Gag me with a spoon.”
Part three is the still-burning friction between Curren’s extended family and good samaritan Paul Schmidt.
Under Pat’s message, you can read,
“Unreal that you’re so blind to the damage you’re doing to this family as a whole.”
From Tom Curren’s kid, Nathan, “My dad has been helping and loving his father and his family so much it’s very painful for us to read those negative thoughts about him. You should have contact them before create the gofund.”
Schmidt, meanwhile, has remained pretty dignified throughout the thing.
“Let me just again say simply, we here at @paul.surf apologize for any unintended hurt the rest of the family may have felt in relation to the post and GoFundMe, which we made public on behalf of Pat and Mary. Our objective was to help our friends out of a tough situation.”