Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton will be the featured speaker for Red Bird Legacy Foundation’s kickoff event and fundraiser set for 2:30 p.m., Sunday, May 5, at Crossroad Community Church in Georgetown. Tickets are $25. Advance purchase is required, and space is limited. For tickets, go to redbirdlegacyfoundation.org.

Hamilton’s live discussion will focus on overcoming life's unexpected and unplanned events by having courage, being faithful and blessing others. At the age of 13, Hamilton lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to be the end of her career as a rising surf star. However, one month after the attack, Hamilton returned to the water, and within two years, she had won her first national title. In 2007, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and since then, her story has been told in “Soul Surfer,” her best-selling autobiography, and the 2011 film of the same name.

Hamilton, who is also a wife and mother, is involved in numerous charitable efforts, including the Beautifully Flawed Foundation, which reaches out to amputees and youth, offering encouragement and hope to overcome hardship through Jesus Christ. Using her platform as a professional athlete to promote living a fit and healthy lifestyle, she authored the book “Body and Soul” in 2014. Her 2019 surf documentary, “Unstoppable,”  showcases her as one of the best women surfers in the world. The film release was accompanied by a photo book and a children’s book.

Passionate about family and about helping young women be unstoppable in life and faith, Hamilton launched the Unstoppable Living online courses in 2019, and a mother-daughter mentorship program known as the ‘Ohana Experience in 2022, along with another children’s book called “Surfing Past Fear.” Her story of determination and hope has resounded worldwide.

The host organization, Red Bird Legacy Foundation, is a local nonprofit  recently formed by lifelong Sussex Countians Justin and Amber Woodland in memory of their friend, Ashley Thomasson. The foundation aims to bring peace of mind to parents who are battling a life-threatening illness by helping them create personalized, tangible gifts for their minor children's future milestones like birthdays, graduations, marriages and having babies. Through these gifts, parents are able to show up for life’s most important moments even if they are not physically able to be present.

The foundation also assists with coordinating memory-making vacations and hiring professionals to assist with estate-planning needs. The free services offered by Red Bird Legacy Foundation are available to any parent who has received a life-threatening diagnosis, has at least one minor child and resides in Delaware or Maryland. To apply, go to redbirdlegacyfoundation.org.

Red Bird Legacy Foundation’s kickoff event is an opportunity for the community to hear Hamilton’s inspiring story and learn more about the foundation’s mission. Funds raised through this event will be used to directly support Delmarva families.