MALIBU, Calif. — The wave wasn’t even finished breaking when Charity Britton took off. One second she was on the sand, the next she was sprinting into the water — jeans soaked, cell phone forgotten, yelling with the kind of joy that drowns out the crash of the surf.
A kid who once feared the ocean was riding a clean, perfect wave toward her, arms spread wide like flight. Charity met them halfway, splashing, cheering, lifting them off the board as if they’d just won a championship.
At TheraSurf, this is the action. This is the sport. This is the moment everything changes.
For TheraSurf, a Malibu-based nonprofit that pairs children with disabilities with seasoned surfers, the ocean isn’t just a backdrop — it’s therapy, community and a rare chance for families to exhale. Event coordinator Charity Britton has spent 15 years helping build that experience, guiding parents through their fears and celebrating every breakthrough wave.
Britton first joined the program through a friend who worked at her founder Kim Bordenave’s son’s school. Bordenave’s son, James, has Angelman syndrome, and when she launched TheraSurf’s first event, she needed help managing the backend. Britton started by organizing emails and family data. Over time, she became a board member before stepping into the event coordinator role.
SETTING THE TONE FOR FAMILIES
Many families arriving at Surfrider Beach have never allowed their children into the ocean, especially with someone they’ve never met. Britton said the biggest priority is building trust.
“All of our surfers have been surfing Malibu since they were knee high,” Britton said. “They are all CPR certified. Most of them are professional surfers or lifeguards. We never take the kids in the water until the surfer has met with the parents, and so the surfers go face to face with the parents.
Parents can explain challenges — mobility devices, cochlear implants, sensory sensitivities — and volunteers guide families through the wetsuit and vest stations before pairing them with a surfer.
“We want to take any of the frustrations or the heightened emotions out and really just let it be a day about those families and the kids,” Britton said. “It's also celebrating those parents that go through this day in and day out, so giving them just a little bit of a time to breathe.”
Videos courtesy of TheraSurf
A DAY AT THE BEACH
Event days start before sunrise because parking near the Malibu Pier fills fast. Volunteers help unload wheelchairs, coolers and beach chairs, then haul them to the tents below.
Once families check in, kids get suited up, meet their surfers and head out as soon as conditions allow. Some ride one wave and call it a day; others don’t want to come back in.
Duke's Malibu provides lunch, and families gather on the sand to eat, dry off and watch other kids ride waves. “It’s celebration and relief all in one place,” Britton said.
TheraSurf prioritizes inclusion beyond surfing. Some children aren’t eligible for team sports or traditional school activities, Britton said.
The organization also hosts an annual memorial surf day honoring longtime participant Blake Moss, who died last year. He still “surfs” with the group through a board dedicated in his name. Families who met through the program now vacation together and stay connected year-round.
“We try to provide an opportunity where they feel like they're a part of a team.”
— Charity Britton
Britton still gets emotional talking about Alastair Happ, a participant who is immobile, nonverbal and has cerebral palsy. In the water, she said, everything about him changes.
“His arms and his legs are moving,” she said. “And you know it is everything in his body, because this is a body that doesn't move like that, and he just moves and he grooves, and you know that he is having a good time.”
His parents even installed a pool at home because water therapy made such a difference.
“We've had kids make their first sounds on the boards and actually put their feet down and touch their toes on the board,” Britton said. “And kids who are wheelchair bound, you know, get those toes on the edge of the surfboard and feel like they're hanging 10. It's just a really special thing to watch.”
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT
Kids form bonds with surfers and other families. One in particular — a boy named Luke — has become a standout. Quite literally the second his toes hit the sand, he’s yelling for every surfer he knows.
“Everybody knows Luke,” Britton said. “It’s just very special to see the connections that he's made just with everybody on the sand.”
Whether riding waves or painting birdhouses at the art tent, kids leave with new friends — and often new confidence.
Britton said much of TheraSurf’s work happens before anyone ever touches the water. The team handles permits, donor outreach, sponsorship, safety preparation and family communication.
“You see the kids on the board in the water, smiles happening,” Britton said. “There's so much that goes into that day. I’m really proud of my team.”