The past week has certainly been a time of year for giving and 10 charities are going to be receiving a handsome donation from Quiksilver this season on behalf of Kelly Slater.
The deal is called "Ten for 10" and what it means is a $10,000 donation from the Quiksilver Foundation to 10 charities chosen by 10-time world champ Kelly Slater. The champ chose groups that are making positive changes in the world -- from a bus program that brings inner city L.A. kids to the beach to hands-on environmental education in Hawaii's public schools. (For those who sat in the back of math class, that's $100,000 all together.)
There was a good amount of buzz this year that Slater was going to receive a substantial bonus from Quik for his 10th title. Quiksilver would not confirm what this amount was.
According to a November report by the Sydney Morning Herald, Slater turned down a rumored $10 million bonus for 3 percent ownership of Quiksilver, which is a $740 million business.
Quik's Taylor Cotton did say that "The $100K (Ten for 10) was completely separate from any bonus Kelly received. It came directly from the Quiksilver Foundation that raised the money holding fundraisers such as the Quiksilver Foundation Golf Classic."
Slater owning a part of Quiksilver is bright news for Slater fans. After making the semifinals of the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Slater was non-committal about returning to the tour in 2011. However, his appearance at key events will only make his stake in the company more valuable.
As for the donation, Slater said, "Ten $10,000 donations is really special. As a kid I could not have fathomed being able to give such a nice gift to charities I believe in and it was totally unexpected! Thank you again to Quik and the Quik Foundation, and I hope these special groups find this to be a big help in the holiday months."
The groups receiving the funds range from environmental to social organizations: Mauli Ola Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, Na Kalai Wa'a Moku O Hawaii, LA Surf Bus Foundation, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, Space Coast Early Intervention Center, Boys and Girls Club of San Clemente, Smile Train, Waves for Water and SurfAid.