Julia's campaign for MeWater

For the past 5 months I’ve been leading a team of 4 on a project with the MeWater Foundation. This organization is near and dear to my heart not only because of my commitment over the past several months, but their mission is incredible. The MeWater Foundation was started by two mental health professionals (Eddie Donnellan and Tim Gras – they’re the BEST and SF natives). MeWater takes at risk and trauma impacted youth to the outdoors on camping trips and surf days. MeWater aims to connect vulnerable young people to positive community members and creates opportunities for youth to develop new skills and form positive, reciprocal relationships with trusted peers.

Although the outdoors are “free”, there are so many barriers to entry from the gear to simply getting there.  Many of the MeWater kids live less than 4 miles from the beach, but they’ve never seen the ocean. They live in trauma impacted areas and lullabies of gun-shots happen far too often. Not only does MeWater provide a day for them just to be “just kids” and ride boogie boards, the foundation’s mental health counselors equip the kids with a toolbox of coping skills to take back with once they wash the sand and salt away.
 
While surfing with the kids after an overnight trip in Muir Woods on July 22nd, one boy (who wasn’t particularly excited to go camping and was a little afraid of the ocean) said to me, “we’re having so much fun, why can’t we surf with you guys all of the time?!”. This little boy’s father died when he was young and he doesn’t always have the opportunity to play. He was the last in the water and he didn’t want the day to end. It is truly magical to watch the kids transform to being apprehensive and worrying about whatever their situation is at home, to smiling and feeling empowered in just a few hours in the ocean.

So much of our success and access to opportunity is based on the zip-code we were born in, MeWater helps make that 5 digit number a little less important for the MeWater kids and provides opportunities their families aren’t able to support on their own. Please consider giving to MeWater!! Let me know if you have any questions, I appreciate you giving to MeWater and supporting this incredible organization.