MeWater Foundation — Free Surf Therapy Camps for Bay Area Youth

Why the ocean

Surf Therapy and the Power of Mother Nature

Since 2015 we've seen it firsthand: the ocean changes what a young person believes is possible. MeWater serves youth across the San Francisco Bay Area who carry the weight of poverty and violence — and gives them a different way of relating to the world, and to the communities they call home.

Founded 2015
Ages 5–20 & Transition Age Youth
Bolinas · Half Moon Bay

educate · inspire · empower

See our impact

Aerial view of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay

An instructor and a child in wetsuits standing in the dunes, pointing out at the ocean

Our impact by the numbers

0years of impact since 2015
0free surf camps every year
$0cost to every family, always
0child at a timeevery single day

MeWater holds more than 50 surf camps annually, and our camps are always free! We provide free transportation and all the gear for an enjoyable day on the beach and in the ocean.

Three ways in

Get involved with MeWater

A large group of camp participants and instructors gathered on the beach with surfboards laid out

MeWater Camps

Find out how MeWater is making a critical difference for youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Learn More

Large group of summer camp participants and staff posing together on an ocean overlook

Sponsors & Partners

Our sponsors' and grant partners' unwavering support is crucial in advancing MeWater's mission.

Sponsor MeWater

Volunteer

Become a contributor to MeWater or volunteer at one of our surf days or weekend camping trips!

Get Involved

Programs

MeWater Surf Camps

We started with youth ages 5–20 — and then our participants grew up. Today we also serve Transition Age Youth, giving them paid summer internships and roles as youth ambassadors and mentors at our camps, and staying with them through the move from high school or foster care into college and careers.

We've grown our overnight camps too, so parents and extended family can come along. Watching a whole family put the phones down and discover camping and surfing together is the best part of the job.

Surf Camps Overnight Camps NYC Exchange

Three youth in wetsuits carrying a yellow surfboard overhead through a beach parking lot

An instructor with his arm around three youth holding bodyboards in the surf

A cove beach with wooded bluffs and a MeWater camp group gathered at the shoreline — Bolinas · Half Moon Bay · and up the coast

From our camps

Ten years in the water

Several youth riding small waves on surfboards during a group surf lesson — A whole line-up up and riding at once

Two young girls in wetsuits sitting together on a surfboard in sunlit ocean water — Best seat on the water

A young child standing on a surfboard riding a wave with arms outstretched — First ride, arms out

Two people in wetsuits high-fiving in the surf as an instructor looks on — High fives in the shorebreak

An instructor in a MeWater cap smiling on the beach with two young girls holding a bodyboard — Gear up, always free

A teenage volunteer and a young participant posing with a surfboard, throwing shaka and peace signs — Youth ambassadors in action

A large group of camp participants seated in a circle on the beach for a discussion — Circle up before we paddle out

A young participant grinning as he surfs a wave while an instructor watches — Pure joy, Bay Area coast

Four young girls in matching wetsuits smiling together in shallow ocean surf — The crew

A young girl riding a wave on a pink surfboard, throwing a shaka toward the camera — Shaka on the way in

A young girl surfing into a curling wave with a female instructor alongside — Inside the curl

A male instructor demonstrating pop-ups to three girls lying on surfboards on the sand — Pop-up practice on the sand

Camp participants standing in a line on the beach with surfboards during an instructor briefing — Safety talk, every camp

Two teenage girls in wetsuits celebrating with arms raised in shallow ocean water — They did it

A young participant paddling a yellow surfboard into a wave with an instructor alongside — Paddle, paddle, paddle

A girl in a blue wetsuit riding a green board prone with an instructor behind her — Green board, green light

In the press · CBS News Bay Area Icon Award

Pair of San Franciscans use surfing to help young people facing trauma

Produced by Sharon Chin, CBS San Francisco

Two San Francisco natives are sharing their love of surfing to empower young people who are facing trauma in their lives.

The sounds of young people splashing in the ocean make Tim Gras happy.

“To have a moment where you can experience a little joy and feel good, that's something,” Gras said.

Gras, along with Eddie Donnellan, lead a surf camp at Bolinas Beach. Donnellan hopes the youth will catch the same wave of healing he felt at age 14 growing up in a broken home.

“Being immersed in the water and surfing was transformative for me at that age,” he said. “It brought me a lot of, I think, immediate joy.”

For bringing joy and healing to at-risk young people through the MeWater Foundation, this week's CBS News Bay Area Icon Award goes to Eddie Donnellan and Tim Gras.

Click here to read the full article.

A young boy riding a yellow surfboard with arms spread as an instructor cheers in the water

Surfing For Good

Educating, inspiring, and empowering underserved youth through the magic of Mother Nature.

Why it works

At MeWater Foundation, we have witnessed first-hand how exposure to the ocean and nature has the power to educate, inspire, and empower.

We address trauma and stress in young people from backgrounds of poverty and violence through access to the ocean and parks.

Mother Nature has the incredible power to educate, heal, inspire, and empower and we share that abundant source with those who need it most so they can access it forever.

We are making a difference. Every day. One child at a time.

Our camps and our families are funded entirely by donations and sponsorships. Any amount gets a kid in the water.

Donate to MeWater

Two young girls in wetsuits smiling while sitting on a surfboard in the ocean

A young boy grinning as he surfs a wave at a MeWater camp

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