Written by Sheree Strange, July 10, 2024
Santa Cruz not-for-profit organisation Shared Adventures presents its annual Day on the Beach event at Cowell Beach, Saturday, July 13, 2024.
For families in and around Santa Cruz, the accessible Day On The Beach program hosted by Shared Adventures is a highlight on the calendar each year. At the height of the northern summer season, hundreds of people who live with disabilities, and their loved ones, are supported by hundreds more enthusiastic volunteers to share a full day of beach adventures.
To prepare for Day On The Beach, volunteers lay down 170 pieces of plywood on frames to create a unique 5,700 sq foot platform over the sands of Cowell Beach. This allows people with limited mobility, and people who use mobility aids, freedom to roam and participate in the day’s activities.
Activities on offer include an impressive range of adaptive water sports (including kayaking, outrigger canoeing, and scuba diving), beach wheelchair rides, sandcastle building, frisbee golf, free live music, and more.
Participants of all ages and abilities travel from around the country to attend each event, and they’re already pouring into Santa Cruz ahead of this week’s Day On The Beach event. Best of all, the event is completely free to attend and participate, thanks to the generous supporters of the Shared Adventures organsiation and the dedication of their wonderful volunteers.
Event Details:
When: July 13, 10AM-5PM PDT
Where: Cowell Beach, 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz CA
Cost: Free!
Contact: 831-459-7210
About Shared Adventures: Shared Adventures offers people with disabilities opportunities for enriching social and recreational interaction. They are the only program in Santa Cruz County that offers a year-round calendar of completely inclusive events, including opportunities for kayaking, surfing, art classes, rock-climbing, river-rafting, horseback riding, dance parties, camping trips, and more. The organisation was founded in 1994 by Foster Andersen, a survivor of a spinal cord injury who lives with quadriplegia.
Find out more about Shared Adventures and their Day On The Beach event here.