Like our Non-Profit organization we are here to Simply Love.  We are blessed but no stranger to struggle.  As the founder of our Ride the Wave program my wife and I know firsthand the toll that anxiety and depression can take on everyday life.  Our hearts’ desire is to not only teach but exemplify positive ways of working through real life troubles.   One of our favorite experiences as a parent is watching our kids experience the freedom of letting go and having fun – especially family fun.  

Why We Serve & How We Make A Difference…

• There are approximately 424,000 foster youth nationwide. 
• The Georgia Family and Children’s Services System accounts for approximately 20,000 of these youth, of which over 5,000 can be found in Metro Atlanta and its surrounding counties. 
• Most displaced children are removed from their homes due to neglect and/or abuse.
  • Most foster kids experience emotional suffering 
    • The most commonly experienced are depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
  • An estimated 40% of foster youth are classified as special needs making them eligible for additional programs and support.
  • The remaining 60% are afforded only the care of an already over extended foster care system without the benefit of additional programs or support services. 

• The median age of children in foster care is 6 ½ years old. 
  • Only 20% of adoptions place children over 6 years old (NASP compiled statistic)

• Roughly 20,000 youth are forced to exit the system annually without having found a forever family, leaving them to fend for themselves.
• Only 8% of Georgia’s foster children were adopted during 2019
• The Covid 19 pandemic has created a foster care crisis with more kids entering the system and fewer families available to foster or support the displaced youth.  (NBC News – December 30,2020)

Unfortunately, our organization cannot solve the need for additional housing, but we believe spending a single day with a greater number of children will foster hope.  Our team is committed to offering an environment (if only for a day) giving them a sense of family and belonging.  Additionally, we believe that we can empower them with an opportunity to learn new skills or overcome old fears.  Our program uses a variety of water activities such as tubing, surfing, or swimming to facilitate these opportunities. 

What sets Ride The Wave apart from other programs or organizations is the opportunity for investment.  Not only can our team and sponsors invest in the lives of these youth, but they can invest in themselves through our Wave Water Works program.  This program caters to the individual youth creating excitement, cultivating good work ethic, and rewarding responsibility.  Whether they are struggling with school grades, behavior issues, depression, etc., they will have the opportunity through an individualized program to set goals, meet goals, and experience positive changes.  Sometimes, the only way to make the best of a situation is by “Riding the Wave,” and learning that often life’s small waves can produce big rewards.  We believe that these lessons will cultivate a foundation for building positively on life’s circumstances.  We want them to see for themselves that they can learn and do anything they put their minds to, an outlook many kids go through the system having never been afforded.  

More About Simply Love…

Simply Love, Inc is a nonprofit organization founded in January of 2018 with an understanding for the value in family.  It was designed to care for not only the family unit but for each of its members dealing with terminal illness.   The work of our organization focused on providing retreat opportunities, promoting relational healing, and making memories to last throughout all of life.  

As COVID-19 entered the picture the regulations and health concerns meant that orchestrating these events was no longer safe and/or feasible; nonetheless, we became overwhelming aware of the need for similar programs among displaced youth.  Our focus shifted to include “Dayscapes” and memory making opportunities through the launching of a new program, Ride The Wave.   

Ride The Wave is an extension of our goal to Simply Love meeting others where they are most in need.  Our organization remains committed to the facilitation of positive experiences amid less than positive situations.  We believe those experiences will become the building blocks for positive change and healthy growth both individually and collectively.