Turning the Tide on the Vaping Epidemic, with Alex Gray
/Now available: A 24-minute video of Alex Gray’s talk with students to help them make healthy choices and prevent vaping and drug use.
All schools in the South Bay are welcome to share the video with their students during the month of October for National Substance Use prevention month and Red Ribbon Week. Please email Kelly Hendrickson, SBFC Director of Community Outreach, to request a private link for your consideration. Please include your name, title, and name of your school.
The SBFC Vaping Prevention Tour aims to connect youth with the real facts about vaping and drug use, as well as inspire them to choose to avoid negative influences and connect with their authentic interests, purpose, and passion. To achieve that goal, SBFC has partnered with pro surfer and inspirational speaker, Alex Gray. The tour will reach eleven of our 90 SBFC Partners Schools from El Segundo to San Pedro.
The tour kicked off on October 7th at Manhattan Beach Middle School with 1,000 7th and 8th graders in attendance. Since that day, the tour has reached students at Torrance High School, Palos Verdes High School, Peninsula High School, Palos Verdes Intermediary School, Hermosa Valley School, Chadwick School, and Rolling Hills Prep School. We are grateful to Chris Stretch, LCSW, for joining the tour during Red Ribbon Week to expand the reach of our vaping prevention message to all students at El Segundo High School and Middle School.
We are moved by the outpouring of appreciation that we have received from school administrators, students and parents. Please scroll down to read just a few messages.
To date the tour has reached 8,000 students and will reach another 3,000 students at Redondo Union High School in the spring. Alex will also be a featured speaker at the Families Connected Speaker Series event, which SBFC offers in partnership with Beach Cities Health District. Together with our community partners and 90 Partner Schools, we hope to turn the tide on the vaping epidemic.
Alex at Pennekamp Elementary School
Alex at MBMS
By Laura Short McIntire, SBFC Creative Director and Producer of the Families Connected Project
Note: this article was updated on November 30th, 2019
Thank you to our Partner School Administrators for sharing our resources related to vaping prevention
MBMS will be participating in the National Red Ribbon Week October 28 - Nov 1.. Please view our Red Ribbon Week Flyer collaboration with South Bay Families Connected. Thank you for supporting these important conversations at home with our fantastic students. — (Sent to all 6th - 8th grade parents from Kerry Riccio Aguero, MBMS Vice Principal. fourth from the right in the photo)
Our 5th graders participated in an Anti-Vaping assembly today. Alex, a professional surfer and inspirational speaker, spoke about following your passion and not letting others deter you from your goals. He encouraged students to be aware of vaping and how its use can negatively impact your health, as well as reach your full potential in life. Alex's presentation is a part of the South Bay Families Connected project and Vaping Prevention tour. We call you to action to visit SouthBayFamiliesConnected.org to see a video of Alex and to engage in the real facts about vaping. — (Sent to all Pennekamp parents from Principal Dr. Gerger and the PTA.)
Vaping is a nationwide scourge among youth throughout school campuses, including ours. In order to continually address this, we are joining with South Bay Families Connected in focusing extensively on vaping prevention. Along with our parents, partners, and community, we can help turn the tide on the vaping epidemic. I encourage you to read our RHP and SBFC Red Ribbon Week Newsletter and access both vaping prevention information for parents and Vaping Facts for Teens. In addition, we are following up with a nationally-known speaker, Alex Gray, coming to campus on Friday, November 1st, to share with our students his story and the importance of wellness among our youth. We are grateful for this opportunity a part of the SBFC Vaping Prevention Tour with Alex Gray. — (Sent to all parents at RHP and Renaissance schools from David Maher, Head of Schools.)
The tour’s impact in the words of administrators, parents, and students
Hi Mr. Gray , I’m a student attending Torrance High School and surf team. Today listening to your speech, it was powerful and so inspiring. The moments that you went through and for you to approach us and share it with us, i feel deep gratitude. I was moved by how you knew who you wanted to be and how you embraced every part of your life to it. That is something I have been questioning for a while, who I wanted to be. And it felt like a wake up call when you came in to that room, speaking about it. Surfing has been a passion for me ever since high school started, and your lifestyle is one of my biggest goals. I want to live a life where I can fully live it and remember every moment. I tend to have self doubt when I’m in an uncomfortable situation, but I felt an adrenaline rush when you said “Don’t give up, and you’ll be unstoppable”. The words were just so powerful when you said unstoppable, and it gave me hope in life in every way possible. I hope I meet you someday, and talk about life. Thank you so much for coming, you’ve changed my life. (Torrance High student)
We received close to 40 emails from parents thanking us for the assembly. They said their children came back and talked with them openly and honestly about what they learned, and some shared their own experiences. This has been incredibly impactful. — Kerry Riccio Aguero, MBMS Vice Principal
There was a gathering of 25-5th grade moms that evening and they all mentioned that their kids came home talking about Alex. Some kids mentioned the health dangers of vaping, others about making good choices, others about following their passions and some others about surfing. — Lorelei Chao, Pennekamp PTA
My girl came home and voluntarily discussed pretty openly, which means it struck a chord deeply. Grateful that she had this opportunity. Thank you! (MBMS parent)
Thank you so much for the amazing speech. i think it changed many people’s perspectives on drugs and vaping. (MBMS student)
Really appreciate what you spoke about at MBMS! it was so inspirational and motivational and i think everybody needed to realize the risks of vaping. (MBMS student)
Well done. Also great you don’t say sorry for being emotional like we see often. Very powerful example you’re setting. (MBMS community)
Thank you so much for sharing your story and the side that people don’t see, it really helped show a real life example and was super meaningful❤️❤️
That was such an inspirational speech! I’m so sorry about your brother, but thank you so much for speaking!! (MBMS student)
The speech was the most inspirational thing ever I loved it so much thank you so much!! You’re amazing for standing in front of 1000 students and saying that!!💘💘❤️💘😘😘 (MBMS student)
Thank you for the facts, especially on brain development. Schools should be teaching this. I never learned it until it was too late & life isn’t a do over so getting informed early is imperative. Also your resources for stress relief are so smart & healthy. Keep up the good work, love you! (SBFC Facebook comment)
Thank so much for your speech it definitely had a impact on many students (MBMS student)
Thank you so much for your moving and inspiring speech you gave at MBMS today, we really appreciate it!❤️(MBMS community)
World needs more men like you. Thank you for spreading your passion. The ripple effect makes a wave 💫💓(unknown)
It was so inspiring, thank you so much! (MBMS student)
Thank you this meant a lot!!💜(MBMS community)
Thank you for motivating and guiding us in the right direction (MBMS community)
Sharing your story is so important! Thank you for showing your vulnerability—it will lift others up! (unknown)
I am sure you positively impacted many young minds on this day (unknown)
Thank you for the amazing speech today 🙏 it was so moving and profound ❤️(MBMS community)
I loved your speech today, it definitely meant a lot to me and many others. As a surfer it also made me feel good about what I do. Thx again for coming and sharing your story. 🏄♀️🏄♂️😊😊(MBMS student)
That was such a great speech thank you for sharing this w us (MBMS community)
Thank you for the powerful and emotional speech ❤️(MBMS student)
Thanks for your service🙏🙏 this saves lives in a time when kids need positive role models more than ever
Please view our Red Ribbon Week Flyer collaboration with South Bay Families Connected.
Thank you for supporting these important conversations at home with our fantastic students.
Thanks so much for coming you inspired lots of people (MBMS student)
That was an amazing speech that had a great impact on all of us👏❤️(MBMS student)
i really so think your speech gave a lot of people a different perspective on vaping and other drugs and what it can do to people that were a big part of your life (MBMS community)
Thanks for taking the time to change lives! The speech was awesome (MBMS community)
Really well said, kids need to have a wake up call, it’s really out of control (unknown)
Amazing how the ones we loose to horrible decisions can give us the strength and confidence to break down barriers we would most likely never have to face or overcome due to the holes they leave in our hearts & lives! I hope/pray it makes us stronger and better coaches for our youth. Thx @a_gray for stepping up and dropping in, you always do!! 🤙👊🏽🙏🏼❤️(unknown)
About Alex
As a professional surfer for 20 years Alex loves being uncomfortable in a foreign environment where surfing is the bond between adventure, culture, and new experiences. He is known for being at the best waves in the world when they’re breaking at their best. He has a lust to search longer and farther into remote exotic locations seldom traveled with a surfboard. With his approachable and charismatic personality, he makes friends with locals everywhere he goes. It’s through these friendships that he gives the world a backstage pass into the most unique surf stories seen unlike anything else. He has a positive loyal following of 85,000 @A_gray instagram followers. Alex is multi-faceted in his career balancing his outgoing humorous personality and surfing ability. He has been featured on the cover of Surfer Magazine 4x, Transworld Surf, Surfing Magazine, Tracks Australia Surf, and Surf Europe.
His big wave surfing accolades include winning the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Tour event, invite to the Eddie Aikau, Surfer Magazine barrel of the Year Teahupoo, numerous XXL nominations, and 2x Gopro of the Year winner from Fiji and Africa. Alex separates himself amongst his peers with his ability to host the awards shows he’s nominated in. These include Surfer Poll, XXL Big Wave Awards, WSL broadcaster, and FuelTV host. Alex also recently starred and produced one of GoPro’s highest viewed Youtube shows called Out To See. Outside of surfing Alex has created a surf therapy called Agray Surf Therapy. The loss of his older brother Chris to a drug overdose drives him to host free sibling grief days at his local beach. Alex has spoken to 12 high schools and over 11,000 students about his life and encouragement for people to be their best.
