Above: Brandon Kane, Freehold Township, is ready to catch a wave with the help of a volunteer at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park on June 12 during Best Day at the Beach, a program that makes it possible for youths with special needs to experience surfing and other water sports. Below: Dylan Dibari, Middletown, enjoys surfing during the Best Day camp, which was hosted by the Best Day New Jersey chapter of the nonprofit Best Day Foundation. Activities included a beach obstacle course, tandem surfing, body-boarding and an awards ceremony. PHOTOS BY LAUREN CASSELBERRY For Thomas Hoagland, his best day ever is when he is surfing a wave.

Hoagland, 18, was one of some 35 youths and adults who participated in Best Day at the Beach, a surfing event for individuals with special needs held at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park on June 12.

The event was hosted by Best Day New Jersey, a chapter of the California-based nonprofit Best Day Foundation, which expanded into New Jersey four years ago with free water-sport camps throughout the summer.

Events, which are run by volunteers, are free and geared for youths with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, blindness, cancer, spinal cord injuries, and other physical and developmental challenges.

New Jersey Chapter Co-Chairwoman Alexis Downham said Best Day at the Beach gives some people a chance to experience a water sport.

“What we do is, we take kids with special needs surfing and boogie boarding, and they kind of just experience something they’ve never really experienced before,” she said. “They haven’t had the chance to get out on a surfboard and get out in the water.” Downham and her husband, Lake, started the Sea Bright-based New Jersey chapter in 2008, and she said that each camp tops off at 35 participants.

The June 12 camp was the second of the summer, and camps are also scheduled for July 9 and 10 in Brick, Aug. 6 in Loch Arbour, and Aug. 7 at Seven Presidents.

The day started off with Spider- Man leading campers in a circle of stretches on the beach. Campers then navigated an obstacle course before heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.

After some rides on the ocean surf, campers ate lunch and an awards ceremony was held.

Downham said that if the weather is good, campers also view a searchand rescue demonstration.

“Sometimes the Coast Guard helicopter comes, depending on the weather, and they’ll do a search and rescue demo,” she said.

Downham described some of the spccialized equipment used for the camp.

“They use two-person boogie boards; we use single-person boogie boards. We use 10-foot rescue boards, and sometimes we have an adaptive chair that, if we need to use, we’ll use,” she said.

For one camper, the time in the water was time well spent.

“Boogie-boarding and surfing are my favorites because I surfed with my cousins,” said Lauren Hyer, who participated in her third year with the camp. “I like to be against the waves.”

Also overseeing the camp this yearwasMaxMontgomery, who cofounded the original camp in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Montgomery explained how the Best Day Foundation originally started.

“There is a program in Santa Cruz called the Ride-A-Wave Foundation,” he said. “They do nine events in Santa Cruz for kids with special needs, taking them out surfing and body-boarding.

“I always wanted to bring that program to other communities and share it in the same way,” he added. “Ride-A-Wave didn’t want to grow outside Santa Cruz, so another board member and I created the Best Day Foundation.”

He also said that Ride-A-Wave helped get Best Day started when they donated some of the original adaptive surfboards and other equipment.

Montgomery also explained where the BestDay name came from.

“We named it Best Day because we heard so often through Ride-AWave that people had their best day coming out,” he said. “It is not just the best day for the kids but the best day for the parents, and it is the best day for the volunteers.”

He said that it costs on average $100 per camper, which pays for a T-shirt, some of the food that isn’t donated, and the insurance to run the program. Downham said that much of the food and drinking water for the camp are donated from local restaurants.

Downham said the chapter holds fundraisers to pay for the camp, and a lot of the camp participants do fundraisers on their own. She also said that the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance donates funds for the camps.

Montgomery said the program helps give campers experiences that others may take for granted.

“It is such a wonderful aspect of the community for kids with special needs and the volunteers who help make it possible,” he said. “I am a lifelong surfer, and it is so great to be able to share those experiences with kids who don’t have a chance to do so.

“The accomplishment of getting out in the water might not be that scary for me, but could be terrifying for them,” he added. “If they can do it, then they can do anything and bring that to other areas in their life.”

Montgomery praised the volunteers who came out to help the campers.

“What’s awesome is a lot of the volunteers here are in high school, and it’s wonderful for them to get involved in community service at a younger age,” he said. “We have amazing volunteers out here, from high school kids to retired people and everyone in between.”

One veteran volunteer described the impact of the camp.

“Just being able to watch the kids and putting a smile on their face, making it their best day,” Robert Casari said. “They don’t get to do this like we do every day.”

Casari, Old Bridge, has volunteered with the camp for multiple years after seeing it posted at his high school, Christian Brothers Academy.

A few rookie volunteers were impressed by the day.

“I think it is a great program for the kids, it’s just so much fun to watch them and be a part of this and make it a special day for them,” Jenna Polico said during her first experience as a camp volunteer.

“It is a life-changing experience,” Nicole Scalera, Westfield, added.

According to its mission statement, the Best Day Foundation enables kids with special needs to build self-esteem and confidence through safe, fun outdoor adventure activities that stretch their limits, expand their true potential, reinforce their achievements, and connect them with diverse populations in their communities.

Current activities include surfing, bodyboarding, kayaking and snow-tubing.

According to the website, the foundation accomplishes these goals by enabling communities to offer special days at the beach and in the snow for children with special needs.

Best Day provides support, training, and business resources to ensure that safe, selfsufficient programs are created. The program is funded through donations, grants and sponsorships and is currently run entirely by volunteers.