Ace Hardware stores reflect the communities they serve. In Newport Beach, California, Crown Ace Hardware helps rally support to increase awareness for water safety.

"We have three stores here, but each part of town is a small community that we serve," said Mark Schulein, Owner of Crown Ace Hardware. "It’s our job to be relevant, engaged, and part of the community, and every store selects the local organizations that they want to work with."

For Mark and his Ace team, the Ben Carlson Foundation is a particularly important cause. Ben was a 32-year-old seasoned lifeguard in Newport Beach who lost his life on duty. It was a particularly traumatic loss for the community since there hadn’t been a loss of a lifeguard in the line of duty in 100 years.

"Hearing Ben Carlson had died is like hearing Superman had died," said Spencer Pirdy, Founder of the Ben Did Go Paddle fundraising event. "In the weeks that followed, we saw this incredible outpouring of support."

The Ben Did Go Paddle event was created to raise money and awareness for water safety. It provides scholarships, ocean water safety programs, and support to under-resourced lifeguard agencies around the world.

"If we get 100 customers in here, 98 of them know who Ben Carlson was and what the foundation is," said Guy Gonzales, Manager of Crown Ace Hardware, Newport Beach.

Crown Ace Hardware also supports other community organizations dedicated to water safety, including the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Program. It’s a community program designed to help train kids to be ocean safe. Many children from the program go on to be lifeguards.

"It’s a rite of passage for the kids that grow up in this community," said Graham Harvey, Chairman, Newport Beach Junior Guard Foundation. "It’s so important to know that our kids are trained and know how to handle the ocean."

"We’re super grateful to be in a position to serve. This is what we do," said Mark. "We love being able to support our communities. We pick out really good organizations that do great stuff, and then we go at it with all the energy we can."