Losing a child to drowning is one of the most difficult things a parent can go through. But for the RecognizeGood May Legends, Jeff and Jana Holst, the death of their 4-year-old son, Colin, just days after completing his swim lessons, drove them to create the non-profit organization Colin’s Hope to promote water safety within their community and to educate parents, children, and lifeguards on drowning prevention.

At a ceremony May 19th at the YMCA Northwest Family Branch, Jeff and Jana were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community. Speaking about the Holst’s successes was Mr. James Finck, CEO of YMCA Austin, and Olympic swimmer Brendan Hansen presented several RecognizeGood gifts to the Holst family. “I don’t know what enables these guys to do what they do,” said James. “To take unimaginable grief and to be able to transform that into healing, not just for yourself, but for everyone that comes into contact with you as well.”

Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under the age of four. Over the past years, Colin’s Hope organized several community events to spread the water safety awareness. Some of the events include the Annual Water Walk, the Annual Colin’s Hope Golf Tournament, and Colin’s Hope Got2Swim Lake Austin Event. “Colin is always with us,” said Jeff.