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Creature features in charity walk

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The first time Calvin Saxton went surfing, he thought of it as a simple diversion.

“It was really fun,” Calvin said, remembering the day he was 4 and his father set him on the water. “He pushed me onto a wave and just told me to stand up.”

The Newport Beach resident, now a sixth-grader at Newport Heights Elementary School, discovered a new hobby that day. Later, he came to see it as a cure as well.

Calvin, 11, has battled asthma all his life, and the sea air helps to soothe his lungs. This weekend, he’ll use his love of surfing — not to mention his artistic skills — to benefit people with a graver condition than his.

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A year ago, Calvin launched Kid Creature, a charity T-shirt company that raises funds to fight cystic fibrosis. His latest design, featuring a three-headed orange monster, will be given to every team leader and offered as a raffle prize at the Great Strides walk in Huntington Beach.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation expects more than 2,000 walkers for the event, which will raise funds to research and treat the disease. In addition to the walk, the organizers have lined up local bands and gotten local restaurants, including Ruby’s Diner and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, to donate free lunches.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the lungs and causes digestive problems. The condition impacts about 30,000 adults and children in the United States and 70,000 worldwide, according to the foundation.

Calvin got behind the cause when he heard about a group of kids with CF who surfed at the same camp he once attended. Ten percent of all Kid Creature’s profits go to the foundation, with the rest going to administrative costs.

The business has become a family enterprise, with the artist’s parents, brother and sister helping with publicity and accounting.

“He had a tax ID (number) at 10 years old,” said Calvin’s father, Roger Saxton.

Kid Creature shirts feature dozens of designs, including an anchor, a taco, a tooth and assorted monsters and humans. All of them share two components: at least one bloodshot eye in the picture, and the shirt turned inside-out so the seams are visible.

Despite his prolific output, Calvin said he wouldn’t be as interested in art if it didn’t support those in need.

“I like the donations to charity,” he said. “That’s my favorite thing.”

If You Go

What: Great Strides

Where: Huntington Beach Pier, Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway

When: Registration begins 8:30 a.m. Saturday; walk begins at 10 a.m.

Cost: Free; pledges encouraged

Information: (714) 938-1373 or https://www.cff.org/chapters/sca/greatstrides

For more information on Kid Creature, visit https://www.kidcreature.net

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