Liberal> Connie Schultz> Surfing The Wave Of Change 2010 04 25

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Surfing the Wave of Change

My mom always said you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

She had her checklist: Stand up straight. Don't tuck the back of your skirt into your pantyhose. Try not to say anything stupid. And smile. We didn't spend all that money on braces so you could frown.

Problem is, relying on first impressions is no way to write a column.

I offer Exhibit A: surfer dude Jon Rose.

I first heard about "pro surfer turned humanitarian" Rose after several women forwarded a press release about his new iPhone application, which is a downloadable program that cool people call an "app." Rose's app, called "Code Red," is a "Terror Alert System" to help men track the menstrual cycles of the women in their lives.

More from the press release:

"Jon Rose ... would return to his wife after weeks on the road unsure of where she was on her cycle, and therefore, afraid of what to expect. ... The recurring stress that always followed inspired them to find a way to help alleviate their shared aggravation over the monthly houseguest."

What's a caveman to do?

Rose teamed up with Kevin Harrison and Harrison's wife, Lisi, who has her own list of grievances:

"You'd think after more than a decade Kevin would pick up on ... certain patterns but each month he acts blindsided by my mood swings," reads her quote in the news release. "And that only (ticks) me off more.

"Every month, women go through the same basic ups and downs. But the men in our lives never seem to catch on. Code Red will solve that. It's good for everyone. It's a giant step toward world peace."

Hmm. So, the only thing that gets in our way of lusting after Mr. Ever-Ready is monthly bloating?

See, this is why our lesbian friends laugh at us: so many doofuses, so few clues.

What kind of guy would buy this app? Let's just say he is the template for everything I tell our daughters never to date and move on.

And move on we must, if we are to understand this complicated 31-year-old man named Jon Rose.

I sat down at my keyboard poised to write a primer on foreplay.

You know, take out the garbage; look at us and not the score when we talk to you; don't tell us we look "fine" after we've spent three hours getting ready. The usual.

Then I checked out the so-called humanitarian behind this stunt.

That's when I found Waves for Water (http://www.WavesForWater.org), which Rose founded "for surfers and surf travelers to help bring clean drinking water to villages all over the world."

Like many professional surfers, Rose has visited some of the poorest countries in search of the next big wave. Last fall, he was in Indonesia when a massive earthquake struck. He was fine, but hundreds died.

His father, Jack, already had started a nonprofit, called RainCatcher, which teaches African villages how to catch and filter rainwater. Jon was traveling with some of the water filters and went to work. Over the next few grueling days, he saved lives — and altered the trajectory of his career.

"I was pretty consumed with myself as a surfer," he said. "But my experience in Indonesia catapulted me into wanting to do good in the world, to make it about everything but me. It changed my life."

Rose's next big project was Haiti, where he spent a month teaching earthquake victims how to use the donated water filters. He wants to expand Waves for Water to some of the poorest regions in Africa.

"This is my life's work," he said. "The more money we raise the more people we can help."

Which is where the "Code Red" app comes in.

"I was sitting in a bar talking to a couple of friends when I had the idea," he said. "It was all meant in fun."

He may have exaggerated a little about his wife's mood swings, he said.

"But look, I just think guys are pretty dense. And apps can raise a lot of money. All of my profits will go to Waves for Water."

Rose hesitated.

"I'm sure some women don't find it funny," he said. "I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I'd hate for people to think 'Code Red' is what I'm all about."

No chance of that.

I didn't think much of Jon Rose the first time I heard of him.

But he made a great second impression.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and essayist for Parade magazine. To find out more about Connie Schultz (cschultz@plaind.com) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.