Our Story
“Water safety should never depend on a zip code or ability… every child deserves the chance to learn to swim.”
—Co-founder Joe Auer
The Winter Park Blue Dolfins Foundation was founded in 2022 by Joe and Bess Auer, lifelong Floridians who understand both the joy and dangers of living in a state surrounded by water. As a former national-level swimmer and a swim coach for more than 30 years, Joe has seen firsthand that while swimming is a lifesaving skill, not every child has equal access to learning it… but he believes every child deserves that opportunity.
Our Mission:
Our mission is to make swimming a universal life skill in our community. Swimming is more than a safety measure—it is foundational to lifelong health and well-being. Stronger communities start in the water!
Children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers.
-2017 Study from Columbia University
Our Pillars: SOAP
Not every child has access to swim lessons or safe bodies of water in which to learn. We lean on our guiding principals to make a dent in drowning rates.
