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Anyone who surfs knows how therapeutic
it can be to spend some time out in the water, and since 2008, a group of dedicated
Florida surfers has been using the healing effects of the sport to bring relief
to children and families affected by autism.
Surfers For Autism seeks to educate
communities and “unlock the potential” of those with autism spectrum
developmental disorders, and for the past two years, the group has held
community surf clinics across the state, where local surfers volunteer to spend
the day bonding with autistic children from their area while passing on their
love for surfing.
On May 16th, the
organization added a new community of supporters to its cause with the Surfers
For Autism of the Palm Beaches event. More than 2,000 people made their way to the north side of
the Juno Beach Pier to show their support, and about 250 volunteers worked with
140 autistic children. Meanwhile, local businesses chipped in to fund the event
and everyone helped raise money to find a cure.
“There was more response to
that event than anything I’ve ever seen in this community,” said Jimmy Moren,
owner of Locals Surf Shop and a volunteer and sponsor for the event. “Everyone
in town came out and did something.”
Don Ryan, the president of
Surfers For Autism, said that the Palm Beaches clinic broke almost every record
in the book for an inaugural Surfers For Autism event, and he was touched by
how willing the local surfers were to get involved.
“That event will always have
a special place in my heart because there was such an immediate upwelling of
community support,” he said.
After volunteering at the
event, Palm Beach-area surfers are now witnesses to the healing effects that
the sport can have on children with autism. Some autistic children live with
high levels of stress and are unable to cope with the world around them, but volunteers
like Moren noticed a big change in the children as soon as they hit the water.
“The kids have all different levels of how affected they are —
I mean some kids were screaming and yelling at first,” he said. “But then you
see them get calmed down. They’re not upset anymore and they’re just cruising
in the whitewater. It was absolutely amazing to see.”
And Ryan said that helping
to make that transformation take place is what Surfers For Autism is all about.
“When you’re working with these kids you’re watching lives change,” he said. “You’re
seeing things that you can’t see anywhere else. These kids are coming out of their
autism shells.”
Upcoming Surfers For Autism Florida events
include:
•Stuart on June 19th
•Cocoa Beach on July 24th
•Daytona Beach on August 28th
•Tampa on September 25th
•Ft. Myers Beach on October 30
For more info, visit
www.surfersforautism.org
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