Please Help Us Turn Jordan's Dream into Reality

My name is Ray and I have an 11 year old daughter, Jordan, who has developed a passion for lifesaving.

Jordan was born a fighter, having had a heart attack at birth and miraculously survived, by the grace of God She was on heart medication and at the age of 6 months, the cardiologist could not detect any more damage to her heart, weaning her off her chronic meds.

She's always been a determined child and following my divorce in 2016, we all had a lot of healing to do. At the end of 2019, Jordan and I moved to Fish Hoek, when I remarried. I was very concerned about Jordan's well-being at the time, as she had already transferred to 3 schools and endured terrible bullying. She struggled to fit in every time. My new chance at happiness meant that she had to transfer to yet another school for the 4th time.

In an attempt to help her integrate into our new town, we enrolled her as a Nipper at the local club, even though she couldn't swim. I didn't think much would come of it, but was willing to try for her sake.

Jordan was way behind her peers, but loved the chance to interact with other kids, many of whom she saw at school daily. She had to learn skills from scratch, at the age of 10, when her peers had already started at the age of 4. The wonderful coaches loved her enthusiasm and offered to spend more time teaching her to swim. She finally mastered her strokes in 2020 and even though she was still lagging behind her peers, she finally managed to qualify as a Nipper in November 2020, much to my surprise!!

We also started with Malibu board lessons, as that was a requirement for her age group.

Jordan surprised us all with her enthusiastic and never say die attitude. She's made friends for life and is learning skills she would not be exposed to had we not moved to Fish Hoek. She really surprised us all at her first Nipper competition in December 2020, when she finished 3rd in Malibu. 

The next competition was held at Strand Beach in March 2021, where they competed against 8 other clubs. It was a beautiful Sunday and Jordan was in her element, loving the vibe and waves. It was as if a strong force came over her when she blew us all away and finished 1st in Malibu heats and finals! She paddled like a pro and loved every minute.

She approached us after the event and said she'd really like to have her own Malibu board, so she can train more and because she loves riding the waves. 

We'd love to fulfill this dream for her, but require funding. We managed to buy a second hand board, but it requires work... sanding, repairs, respray, new handles and a skeg (fin), all of which costs approximately R7000.

I therefore appeal to anyone who can help turn Jordan's dream into reality and help fuel her passion... any donation, no matter how small, will go far. Every little bit helps.

Much thanks ?? 

Ps. Jordan was awarded most improved female U/12 Nipper for this season ????