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.
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”.…