Santa Cruz surfer Darryl ‘Flea’ Virostko with his family in Santa Cruz. Virostko, who recovered from alcohol and meth addiction, is hosting a fundraiser Saturday to raise money for his planned sober house.
Local surf legend Darryl “Flea” Virostko is getting very close to realizing a dream that came to him in rehab over five years ago: opening a unique sober living facility in Santa Cruz County.
With his sights set on a six-bedroom house in Capitola, Virostko’s organization FleaHab, which uses surfing and physical activities to help struggling addicts live a clean and sober life, needs to raise $50,000 to open the facility.
Just a few months before the tentative Nov. 2013 move-in date, and with $30,000 in the bank, there’s reason to be optimistic. After all, last year at this time FleaHab had only raised about $12,000.
And then Silicon Valley stepped in. This Saturday, Aug. 31, marks what FleaHab hopes to be their biggest fundraising push to date, their second “luau benefit” to be backed by the philanthropic organization Heart of Technology (HOT), founded by venture capitalist and software executive Jim Hogan of San Jose.
Hogan says FleaHab’s message resonated with him on many levels, which is why he felt compelled to get the Silicon Valley community involved. “We’ve all been touched by alcohol or substance abuse, and anybody who is trying to overcome that should have the help they need,” says Hogan.
Last year’s event raised around $20,000. “So that was our biggest fundraiser, and why we’re putting in so much energy for this year’s event,” says Virostko.
Energy and money. Held at the Hoganian Grove in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Saturday’s fully catered party, complete with several bands and an extensive auction, will set FleaHab back around $10,000. When I spoke with
Virostko last weekend, they’d only sold around 75 tickets, but he’s optimistic the turnout will be as good—if not better—than last year’s crowd of 300. No matter what happens, though, FleaHab is bound and determined.
“We’ve been doing this for three years, and I’ve been sober for five years, and we’re serious about this,” says Virostko. “It’s not just something we’re talking about one day because it sounds good.”
His vision for the facility is a holistic one; not just surfing, but a variety of physical activities and excursions, as well as sports equipment available onsite, which 41-year-old Virostko says was crucial to his recovery from alcohol and meth addiction.
“I want to make sure that people aren’t just out back smoking cigarettes,” says Virostko. “I want to make sure that people are focused on eating healthy and taking care of their bodies, learning how to cook a really healthy meal together and exercising together.”
The three-time Mavericks Champion says he’s amazed at how good his life has become since getting sober. With a beautiful daughter, a wife-to-be and another child on the way, “all of these good things just started happening to me,” he says. He revels in the small things, like brushing his teeth, getting a full night of sleep and even just cutting his nails—things he couldn’t do in the throes of addiction, when, he says, he was often too drunk to surf when the waves got good.
“When I got back in the water for the first time, I was kind of feeling out my new body,” says Virostko. “I was overweight, you know, after drinking all the time. You kind of have to learn your new personality and how you feel comfortable in social situations, and how you’re going to interact again with people. It’s trippy when you’re new to this whole new feeling… it’s a lot harder to do things without liquid courage.”
Virostko’s cousin, Jill Jacobs, a crucial member of the FleaHab board, helped to connect the two organizations.
“Its been really neat to see how the Silicon Valley community has really risen to support the Santa Cruz community, which is what I think is a really great cause,” says Jacobs. “I’m not sure everyone is really aware there’s been a lot of problems in Santa Cruz, and there’s been a lot of government spending that’s been cut and so these programs are really needed to help people live productive lives.”
The Labor Day Luau to benefit FleaHab is Saturday, Aug. 31 from 2-8pm. Highlights include live performances by Extra Large and Singing Wood, a kids’ zone and an extensive auction of surf gear, gift certificates, art and more. Tickets are $50 on fleahab.net.
