The event hadn’t been held on Fort Myers Beach since before COVID. This past Saturday Crescent Beach Park was filled with smiling faces with the return of the annual Surfers With Autism event sponsored in part by Lee County.
For hours volunteers from all over Southwest Florida helped keep the kids up on their surf boards. The water and the weather was perfect for the event. There were 50 surfers and 25 volunteers this year.
Beach resident Jenny Tardiff and her family were at the event. “We were there as participants this year. But both Kevin and I plan on volunteering next year. I have followed the group since they first came to the island, but this year was the first year I had a child who participated. I can’t say enough good things about Surfers for Autism. Or how it makes me feel to see so many kids on all levels of the spectrum enjoying themselves so freely. In our family, we have been on our autism journey for almost 7 years now. Thomas was diagnosed around 2 1/2. There are so many things that people try to tell you. What your child will do, won’t do. But the thing is – no one knows your kid like you do. This group isn’t here to tell you anything. They just want you and your child to embrace the waves and let go. I can tell you that Thomas is still smiling ear to ear, and telling everyone he can that he learned how to “proper surf”. And as an autism parent, or any parent really, what a feeling it is to see your kid gain the courage to do something outside of their norm. As Thomas said “I am strong, I am brave, and I got this”. And so he was and so he did. My little surfer star.”
Surfers for Autism COO Lindsay Lord said,”The event was great! It is beautiful to watch the community come together to support our kids. The highlight for me was the dolphin who joined us in the first session, did a few circles around us. Each surfboard told a story as we broke down the walls and limits that have been placed on our individuals their whole lives. I’d like to give a huge thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, and volunteers, especially to La Ola and S.O.B for so generously donating food to feed everyone lunch.”
Lee County Parks & Recreation and Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail Director Mike Hammond was at the event. “With nearly 80 surfers and more than 50 volunteers, it was an awesome event. It was especially awesome because the event had to pause for five years. So, to see it come back so strong was amazing for our community and the surfers.”
Tunaskin’s Ben Duval was one of the volunteers. “I personally volunteered because… yes it was a great opportunity to give back, yes it was a great opportunity to support the community and those less fortunate, yes it was hot, yes it was exhausting, yes we were all spent by the end of the day, but to see the participants smiling from ear to ear and overjoyed by a simple paddle board or surfboard ride on a beautiful day at the beach… it made it all worth it.”
Surfers for Autism is a nonprofit organization dedicated to unlocking the potential of children and young adults with autism and developmental delays through surfing. The event is free for registered participants, their families and volunteers. It includes a complimentary lunch.
