Children with special needs try surfing in Ventura

Youngsters with special needs experienced the joys of surfing Saturday as volunteers with A Walk on Water brought a surf-therapy event to Ventura for the fifth time.

Steven Lippmann, president of the program, said he finds each event "incredible" and "humbling."

"We have found that through surf therapy, we are able to stimulate and empower minds in such profound ways that a newfound confidence and open-mindedness can be seen within minutes," he said in a news release announcing the event.

Brothers and sisters of children with special needs took part, "strengthening a bond and sharing the stoke on a wave," Lippmann said. 

A Walk on Water is based in Newbury Park. Since launching in August of 2012, it has served more than 1,000 families and provided surf therapy to more than 2,000 children and adults with special needs and their siblings.