HOLGATE – When 70-year-old Bud Gilfillan paddled out into the surf at Holgate’s wooden jetty on a recent Saturday, he wasn’t just chasing waves. He was celebrating twenty years of recovery and honoring the lives of those who never made it back to shore.
“I almost didn’t make it to 50,” Gilfillan admitted. “They didn’t think I was going to survive. Now I’ve had 20 years to turn it around. I’m a husband, a father, a grandfather, and I get to give back instead of causing hurt.”
Gilfillan caught 794 waves this summer, which was enough to clinch first place in the 5th Annual 100 Waves for Recovery fundraiser, hosted by Sea Change, an Ocean County nonprofit.
Sea Change works to break the stigma around substance use disorder and provide hands-on resources for people and families in crisis. The group emphasizes harm reduction, designed to keep people safe, while leaving the door open for recovery when they are ready.
A Summer Of Surf And Support
The idea behind 100 Waves is simple but powerful. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, surfers, paddleboarders, bodyboarders, and even kneeboarders tally their rides, collecting pledges for every wave. The final celebration, timed to coincide with International Awareness Day, added a surf contest along the way. Yet, the day’s real purpose was rooted in a beach-wide show of unity for recovery.
Sea Change founder and executive director Elizabeth Burke Beaty explained how the fundraiser began during the pandemic.
“The first year, it was ‘your waves, your beach, your challenge,’” Elizabeth said. “People surfed wherever they were and raised funds on their own. Now, it’s grown into a full community beach day with yoga, music, and remembrance.”
This year’s event raised more than $20,000, thanks to sponsors like Ari Products, Caribbean Pete’s, RWJ Barnabas, JBJ Soul Kitchen, Southend Surf and Paddle and the Reynolds Family Foundation. Volunteers handed out carnations for the afternoon paddle-out, while the Danksters filled the shoreline with live music.
Crushing Stigma, Catching Hope
For many who gathered, the day was about more than waves and trophies.
“Substance use disorder is something a lot of us try to hide,” said Gillian Buchansky, a program associate with Sea Change. “But nobody gets better alone. We’re here to catch people when they slip – to say you’re not an outcast, you’re part of something bigger.”
Buchansky, 26, joined the nonprofit after losing a friend to overdose and beginning her own recovery journey. “It felt like the universe aligned,” she said. “Sea Change is action-heavy. We’re out in the community with Narcan, with resources, and with compassion.”
That sense of belonging struck a chord with participant Marc Halikas, who tallied 431 waves this summer. Halikas said his motivation behind participating in 100 Waves last year was a bit more selfish. He hadn’t been in the water in six weeks, and decided the fundraiser was a way to get him back out in the surf.
“This year, it was a different mindset,” Halikas said. “I really wanted to help out the addiction recovery counseling service that Sea Change offers.”
Halikas said he even visited the organization’s office to see firsthand what he was raising money for. He discovered that Sea Change works to help people who feel shame and guilt come forward for help by meeting them at their level and helping them to rise up.
Award winners for the 100 Waves contest were Gilfillan with 794 waves, followed by Tom Beaty with 640, and Halikas with 431 waves.
Gilfillan was quick to deflect the spotlight. He pointed out that he rides a boogie board, Halikas, Beaty, a longboard and Halikas does stand-up paddle boarding.
“It’s like our recovery,” he told the crowd. “Each one of us picked the way we were going to live better lives. We each had our own path, and we became good fathers, good husbands. I’m a grandfather now, and we’re giving back to the community. This is what happens when we decide to start actively.”
“Five years ago, I met Elizabeth,” Gilfillan added. “She showed me that harm reduction is number one, and that picking our own recovery is the best thing we can do.”
Honoring Lives Lost
The upbeat energy did have its moments of solemn remembrance shared in solidarity. Surfers and supporters carried white carnations into the surf for a Hawaiian-style paddle-out, forming a floating circle beyond the break.
For those gathered on the shoreline and those on boards, the ritual carried both weight and lightness. “You could feel the mix of emotions,” one supporter said. “People were grieving, but also lifting each other up.”
Beyond The Waves
For Elizabeth, Sea Change’s mission is deeply personal. A certified peer recovery specialist with 31 years of sobriety, she founded the nonprofit in 2020 after years of watching neighbors and families grieve.
“What we do is about saving lives,” she said. “Sometimes that means helping someone get a motel room for a few nights, making sure they get to a doctor’s appointment, or simply being the person who says, ‘You’re not alone.’”
Sea Change staff and volunteers now number close to ten, and their presence is growing across Ocean County. They’ve reached out to people struggling with substance abuse, distributed Narcan, and connected countless families to resources that reduce harm and build hope.
The 100 Waves event also carried a message of advocacy. Participants circulated a petition demanding that New Jersey redirect $45 million in opioid settlement funds away from hospitals and back into community-based recovery efforts.
“Advocacy is part of recovery,” Elizabeth emphasized. “We need to make sure resources reach the people most impacted by this crisis.”
