Riding the Waves

An innovative local foundation connects women and children to the healing power of the sea.

BY ALLISON SCADUTO

Celebrating differences and uniqueness. Living with courage and kindness to support others. Giving back to the community. These are guiding principles for key programs of The OisF—short for The Ocean Is Female—Foundation, a local nonprofit organization that strives to foster kindness and strength in girls and support and empower survivors of abuse.

Run by a team of volunteers mostly from Manasquan and Brielle, The OisF connects women and children to the ocean—and each other—through programs and initiatives that build community, heal wounds and promote leadership.

The three key elements below guide The OisF’s mission and work in the community.

Building strength and resilience: The OisF Rider Program builds a community of girls who inspire goodness and strength in each other through events and activities such as beach yoga, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), skateboarding and sewing. Sharing new experiences helps girls gain tools to face challenges and—both figuratively and literally—ride the waves.

The OisF’s spring Rider Leadership Program for middle-school girls develops each participant’s unique leadership style and teaches self-empowerment skills. Building confidence, trust and resilience helps Riders lead not only themselves but also others. With The OisF’s support, participants work together to create and administer service projects throughout the community during the summer.

Raising awareness: The OisF is a vehicle for promoting conversation about the prevalence of abuse in all communities. Through its advocacy for survivors, support of abuse-prevention organizations and efforts within the community, The OisF works to end the silence and stigma surrounding abuse and give survivors—and all women and girls—a voice and safe space to share their stories.

Recent activities included decorating and delivering more than 200 stuffed stockings over the holidays to local children who had been abused or exposed to domestic violence. During the winter, The OisF organized a Cozy Clothing Collection in collaboration with local businesses and schools to provide comfortable clothing for women living in local safe homes. And this summer, The OisF is creating Summer Fun Boxes for over 100 New Jersey children living in foster homes.

Connecting with the sea: At every opportunity, The OisF gets women and children in, on or near the ocean so they can experience the sea’s power to heal and strengthen.

One key program is a pioneering surf therapy program for women who have survived abuse and/or domestic violence. The OisF also sponsors attendance at ocean-based summer camps for children—regardless of gender—who have been abused or exposed to domestic violence. Camps include surf camp with Hammer Surf School (in Spring Lake, Lavallette and Seaside Park), SUP camp with The Endless SUP Company (in Manasquan), surf and skim camp with Sandy

Avocado Surf (in Long Beach Island) and surf immersion and youth empowerment camp, also with Sandy Avocado Surf.

Ripple Effect

The OisF strives to create a wave of change, ripple by ripple. To learn more and ride the wave together, visit www.TheOisF.org, where girls of all ages who are interested in joining more than 350 participants in The OisF Rider Program can register at no cost.

To support The OisF, come to the third annual OisF Waves of Change fundraiser June 22 at Reef and Barrel in Manasquan, with live music provided by Brian Kirk and The Jirks.

Check out The OisF’s Event Calendar at www. theoisf.org/pages/event-calendar and follow @ TheOisF on social media to learn more about OisF Rider events.