Best Day Foundation: Providing Fun Adventures for Kids and Young Adults with Special Needs

As a parent of a son with special needs, I have many dreams for him that I thought would remain just that -- dreams. But, through the years, God has shown our family that certain wishes could actually come true when we take the time to look for, and recognize, answers to our prayers.

In my wildest dreams, I never thought my son would get the chance to go surfing!

Honestly though, I didn't quite imagine receiving certain unexpected blessings that seemed so impossible to have many years ago. And yet, here we are, seeing James getting to enjoy life so much more because he's healthier and happier and is presented with opportunities that were not available when we were still living in the Philippines.

Last year, one of the best things that gave us so much joy was seeing James go surfing and do other fun water activities that we never thought existed!

Daddy and James on a paddleboard in Newport Beach

It was sometime in February 2018 when I chanced upon a blog post of Joyful Journey Mom who shared the list of special needs resources she compiled. Unfortunately, her website couldn't be found anymore because the domain seemed to have expired. Anyhow, I've read there about an organization called Ride A Wave that "enables kids with special needs to experience the thrill of riding a wave regardless of their challenges."

Curious, I visited their website and saw that they are based in Santa Cruz, California, which is 364 miles away from where we live. Still hopeful, I filled out their contact form and asked if there may be a chance for them to hold a beach camp nearer us. The next day, Don, a member of their advisory board, emailed back and suggested I check out their sister organization in Southern California instead. 

Best Day Foundation has the best volunteers and staff members! 

That was how I found Best Day Foundation, an organization that creates special days for kids and young adults ages 4 to 24+ who have Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Blindness, Cancer, Spinal Cord Injuries, and other physical and developmental challenges.

Eagerly, I visited their website, browsed the photos and videos, and got more excited when I found locations that are within reasonable driving distance. When I had James watch some of the videos and asked if he would like to go to the beach and ride a surfboard, his eyes lit up and he started smiling and laughing. In my heart of hearts, that was my affirmation that he should have that amazing experience!

Isn't that smile contagious?! :)

After discussing it with my husband, I signed James up for a slot for the May 20th activity in Seal Beach even though it was still three months away. In the meantime, we'd watch the videos on the website every now and then while I kept reminding James to patiently wait for a few more weeks. He would always answer me with a big smile.

May 20th turned out to be a little cold and cloudy though so I became a bit concerned about how chilly the water would be. Thankfully, aside from the helmets and life jackets, Best Day provided all participants with wetsuits to keep them warm. Everyone was so friendly when we got to the site. James was paired with his beach buddies, Heather and Bryan, who took great care of him while hubby, myself, and our son Gab, took photos and videos to preserve the precious moments.

When it was finally James' turn to ride the specially designed surf chair, I felt nervous but still excited at the same time especially seeing how far he and his surfer buddy were from the shore. Once they caught a wave and we saw them coming closer, everyone could see the big grin my son had. It was such an emotional moment for us to see James experiencing something that didn't even cross our minds to be a possibility!

Needless to say, the day was a huge success. Our young man was smiling all throughout that morning, in the car while going home, and up until he fell asleep that night. It felt so good to see him thoroughly enjoy that unique experience that I wish other kids like him could also get to have.

happy family at the beach

Since then, every time we show him photos of him surfing and being on the beach, he would express excitement and happiness at the memory. So I checked if there would still be other activities in SoCal in the coming months and fortunately found a slot for October 7th at Seal Beach. There, he was taken good care of volunteer Eddie, his assigned beach buddy for the day.

I am blogging about this now because I'd like to encourage other parents with special needs kids to likewise sign their children up to upcoming 2019 activities that start next month and will be happening in Florida, California (San Diego, Orange County, LA County, Ventura, Sta. Barbara), North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. 

Best Day at the beach with new friends

Volunteers are also welcome to share their time! Please visit bestdayfoundation.org/volunteer to sign up and read the FAQs. Donors, please consider sharing your resources at bestdayfoundation.org/donate to help subsidize participants whose parents may not be able to shoulder even the minimal registration fee. 

Dear readers, if you know of families who may benefit from this information, please do share it with them. I hope, one of these days, I'll be able to hear about a kid who was brought to a Best Day event because their mom or dad happened to read this blog post. It would be awesome to find out how more young people with special needs were able to experience one of their best days like our James had :)