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 because 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
What We Do
We work in the water, on deck, and in the home and community to promote water safety and drowning prevention measures.
Black children are 7.6 times more likely to drown than their white peers.
-2023 CDC study