The Big Effort Foundation is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to preventing drowning in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder—a population disproportionately affected by drowning due to sensory challenges, communication barriers, and a natural tendency to wander.

Our Mission: To relieve conditions associated with disability by providing specialized swimming lessons and water safety training tailored to children with ASD, supporting their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Who We Serve: We serve children with ASD and their families across the Kootenay and Boundary regions. These families often struggle to find traditional swimming instruction that accommodates their child's unique needs. By removing financial barriers, we ensure safety is accessible to all.

Our Program: The Big Effort Swim Program provides one-on-one and small-group instruction led by trainers certified in ASD-specific methodologies. Each child receives 8-10 weeks of specialized training focused on water safety, drowning prevention, and confidence-building.

Our Impact: With early support from community partners, we reduced per-child program costs from $4,000–$5,000 to $1,600—a over 50% reduction. We've developed a custom app integrated into our program, allowing families to track progress and access resources. In our first year, we served three children through eight months of instruction. 

Our Goal: We are building toward sustainability. By subsidizing families based on income and growing our annual Swim-a-Thon, we aim to become self-sufficient—ensuring Boundary and Kootenay children access life-saving water safety training for generations to come.