Six months in, the shoreline feels familiar in a new way. Not because the work has become easy, but because it has become ours. What began in January as a vision held close has grown into a rhythm shared by families, partners, and a community that keeps widening around the water.
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This month brought a different kind of reflection. The kind that arrives when you pause long enough to notice how far you have traveled without realizing it. The ocean has a way of showing us this. The slow, steady pull of the tide. The quiet shifts that shape the shoreline long before we see them.
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As we looked back on these first six months, we saw the moments that built this foundation. Thirty Resilience Kits delivered into the hands of families. Two community events that brought people together. Five surf camp sponsorships that lifted kids into the water. More than twenty local partners who said yes. Families supported across Duval, St. Johns, and Flagler.
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None of it happened all at once. It happened in the steady moments. The early morning scheduling and planning. The quiet conversations with families. The small victories on the water that no one else sees. The trust that grows wave by wave.
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As we mark six months of Tidal Resilience, we are holding gratitude for every person who has stepped into this mission with us. And we are grateful for the ocean, which continues to teach us how to move forward with steadiness, courage, and care.
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Honoring Fathers, Holding Memory
A moment of remembrance for those carrying love and loss this month
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Father’s Day carries its own tides. Gratitude, pride, longing, and the quiet ache of missing someone who shaped our lives. For many families in our community, this month brings a mix of light and heaviness. Both are real. Both deserve space.
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The ocean teaches us that two things can exist at once. A calm surface and a strong current. A steady horizon and a shifting tide. Love that remains and absence that is felt. This month, we hold close the families who are navigating Father’s Day without their fathers or father‑figures. We honor the stories, the lessons, and the presence that continues in the lives they touched.
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As we celebrate six months of Tidal Resilience, we recognize that remembrance is part of resilience. The people we miss are woven into the way we show up for one another. Their influence lives in the courage of the kids who step onto the water. In the strength of the parents who keep going. In the community that continues to grow around them.
We see you. We honor your fathers. We hold your stories with care.
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A moment of remembrance for our founder’s father, and for all those we honor this month.
Gratitude & Community Spotlight
Tidal Resilience Foundation is holding deep gratitude for every partner, volunteer, donor, and neighbor who has supported our work during these first six months.Â
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What began as a vision in January has grown into a community that shows up with heart, steadiness, and a shared belief in what resilience can look like for grieving children and families. Every kit delivered, every water day, every event, and every moment of connection has been shaped by people who chose to stand with us.
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This month, we are honored to spotlight Jessica Cole, a community member who stepped in from the very beginning and has continued to show up with generosity and care. Jessica volunteered during Spring Break Resilience Week and again at the Waves of Hope 5K. Her willingness to help wherever needed reflects the spirit that has carried Tidal Resilience forward during these first six months.
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Jessica was raised in northeastern Florida and has spent her life rooted in education, service, and community. She earned her undergraduate degree from Flagler College in Secondary Education and Social Science and has taught both in local classrooms and virtually across the state. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Transformative Social Change at Saybrook University. Outside of her studies, she enjoys paddleboarding, yoga, and walking her two pugs. Jessica’s commitment to learning, connection, and positive change reflects the heart of Tidal Resilience, and we are honored to spotlight her this month.
COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:Â
JESSICA COLE
Q: What inspired you to support Tidal Resilience Foundation?
I consider myself a changemaker, and I try to surround myself with people and organizations who are working to make the world a more positive place. That is how I came to volunteer with Tidal Resilience. The founder was a colleague and is now a friend, and I have always believed in the message and mission of this nonprofit. I wanted to be part of something that reconnects children and families who may feel broken by grief and gives them opportunities to engage with one another, with their community, and with nature.
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Q: What part of Tidal Resilience Foundation's mission resonates most deeply with you?
I lost my single mother when I was young. I was twenty when she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, and she fought for two more years. She is my model for resiliency. Because of that experience, I know how hard it is to lose a parent, and I cannot imagine how children navigate that level of pain alone. The part of the mission that resonates most is the commitment to making sure kids do not have to face that loss by themselves.
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Q: When you think about resilience, what does it mean to you and your family?
Resilience makes me think of my mother. She showed me what it means to keep going even when life feels impossible. Her strength shaped me, and it is why I believe so deeply in supporting kids who are grieving. No one should have to carry that weight without support.
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Q: What do you hope Tidal Resilience Foundation brings to families and youth in our community?
I hope to see support continue to grow in St. Augustine and the surrounding areas. I want the reach of Tidal Resilience to expand so that more families can experience the programs, the community, and the healing that comes from being seen and supported. I was grateful to help with the first Spring Break Resilience Week, and those smiles and memories will stay with me. I hope many more families get to experience that.Â
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Q: Is there anything you’d like others to know about why supporting this work matters?
The kids and teenagers who are being supported by Tidal Resilience do not have to face their grief alone. That is what matters most. This work gives them connection, community, and care during one of the hardest experiences a young person can face. I am thankful to be even a small part of that.
Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your story and for supporting Tidal Resilience Foundation.
Community Connections
A look at what we are learning, listening to, and exploring this month
Each month, we will highlight a resource, story, or conversation that deepens our understanding of grief, resilience, or the ocean. These are the voices and ideas shaping the way we support families and build TRF’s programs.
What We’re Reading:
The Other Side of This: The Messy Truth About Grief for Teens by Robert DelFave  (2026)
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This month, we are spending time with The Other Side of This by Robert DelFave. It is a book written for teenagers who have lost someone and cannot find language for what that actually feels like. Robert writes from lived experience, not theory. He was fourteen when his father died, and he has spent more than twenty years trying to understand what that loss meant and how it shaped him.
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His book removes the idea of a five‑step plan and instead walks through the honest, messy chapters of life after loss. The feelings nobody talks about. The masks teens wear to get through the day. The search for home when everything familiar has shifted. Seven chapters. Real language. Real understanding.
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Earlier this month, our founder joined Robert on his podcast, Carried Forward, for a conversation about resilience, identity, and the work of rebuilding after loss. His book continues that same thoughtful, grounded approach and offers teens a companion for the moments that feel too heavy to name.
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Why It Resonates With Tidal Resilience Foundation
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Robert’s writing reflects the same truth we see in the families we serve. Grief is not linear. It is not tidy. It does not follow a script. Teens often carry questions they do not know how to ask and feelings they do not know how to express. This book meets them in that space with honesty and care.
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At Tidal Resilience, we believe in creating environments where kids feel seen and supported. Our Resilience Kits, our water days, and our community partnerships are built around the same idea Robert names in his author’s note. What young people need most is someone who will sit beside them and ask, “What do you need right now?” Not a checklist. Not a stage of grief. A moment of presence.
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The Other Side of This offers that presence in written form. It is a resource we believe will serve teens, caregivers, educators, and anyone walking alongside a young person who is grieving.
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You can learn more about Robert and his work at his website.
June has been a month of steady progress across the programs that support families throughout the year. Preparations for the launch of Resilience Rides in August continue to move forward as we refine the flow of each outing and strengthen the partnerships that will help these gatherings feel welcoming and accessible. Our work on Resilience Kits is also advancing as we organize materials and coordinate with schools for distribution at the start of the 2026–2027 school year. These quiet steps are helping us build a strong foundation for the months ahead.
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Surf camp sponsorships were secured for June, giving several of our kids the chance to learn a new skill on the water and spend each day at the beach. These experiences continue to be some of the most meaningful moments we witness, offering confidence, joy, and connection in ways that stay with families long after the week ends.
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Community Support
This month brought continued connection with families, volunteers, and partners who are helping shape the first year of Tidal Resilience. Outreach with Anastasia State Park, Gamble Rogers State Park, St. Augustine Youth Services, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Augustine has opened new pathways for collaboration and expanded the network of care surrounding our mission.
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These conversations and partnerships remind us that resilience grows through community. Each connection strengthens the support available to families and helps ensure that no child has to navigate grief alone.
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What’s Emerging Next
As we move into July, our focus turns toward finalizing the details for Resilience Rides, continuing to assemble Resilience Kits, and deepening the partnerships that help TRF grow with intention.
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The Remembrance and Resilience Community Wall is now fully live and open for submissions. Families are invited to visit the wall, read the reflections already shared, and add their own message whenever they feel ready. This space continues to grow into a place where remembrance is welcomed, witnessed, and held with care.
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Each step is part of the steady emergence of TRF’s first year. We are building programs, strengthening community, and creating spaces where remembrance and resilience can take root.
The Next Wave
A gentle look at what’s coming into view
As we move into July, the next wave is forming through steady preparation, deepening partnerships, and the continued belief of the families and neighbors walking beside us. June has been a month of meaningful connection and behind‑the‑scenes work, and several pieces of our mission are beginning to take clearer shape as summer unfolds.
Resilience Rides
We are preparing to launch our very first Resilience Ride on August 15 at Anastasia State Park. This guided, water based outing will offer gentle movement, connection, and simple resilience practices on the water. We will be opening 15 spots for this first session, and families will be able to sign up as soon as registration goes live.
Reserve your spot for our August 15 Resilience Ride here
We continue to assemble and organize materials for upcoming Resilience Kit deliveries. Each kit offers tools for comfort, connection, and emotional support. Families can request a kit at any time, and community members can sponsor a kit to help us reach more children. Our goal is to distribute kits to schools across Northeast Florida at the start of the 2026–2027 school year.
Our Remembrance and Resilience Community Wall is now live and open for submissions. This shared space invites families to honor loved ones and feel connected to others who are navigating loss. The wall already holds messages from our Waves of Hope 5K community, and it continues to grow into a meaningful extension of our mission.
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Families are welcome to visit, read the reflections that have been shared, and add their own message whenever they feel ready.
We continue to build a list of volunteers who want to support TRF as we grow. If you feel called to help with events, family meetups, kit assembly, or future programming, we would love to connect.
If you’d like to make a financial contribution to support our early growth, you can donate directly through our website. Every gift helps us build a strong foundation for the year ahead. Donate here
Prefer to shop instead? You can also support Tidal Resilience Foundation through The Tide Market, where every purchase helps fund our mission to support bereaved youth through ocean‑inspired healing and resilience practices.
The Tidal Resilience Foundation (TRF) is a Northeast Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to helping children and families navigate the complexities of grief through the grounding and healing power of the ocean.Â
By blending emotional support with movement, nature, and community connection, TRF provides safe, meaningful spaces for young people to process loss and build lifelong resilience.
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Through its signature Resilience Weeks, Resilience Rides, and the Strength Beneath the Waves curriculum, the foundation partners with schools, counselors, and coastal businesses to ensure no child has to navigate life’s unsteady tides alone.Â
Rooted in lived experience and a deep belief in the power of community, TRF is committed to helping every young person rediscover the joy and strength that lives within them.Â
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For more information, visit
www.tidalresilience.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @tidalresiliencefoundation.
 2026 Theme: EMERGENCE Â
A year of rising, beginning, and stepping forward with clarity and care. Â
As Tidal Resilience Foundation grows from its shoreline beginnings, this theme reminds us to move with intention, humility, and hope.
