Dear SEASTARS Friends and Family,
It is with both deep gratitude and a heavy heart that we share news we never imagined we would have to write: after 22 years of serving our community through swim lessons, our inclusive swim teams, and specialized programs for individuals with special needs and families with financial challenges.
Our Swim Team will come to an end on August 7th, 2026.
SEASTARS will continue offering swim lessons until the end of the year. Our final day of swim lessons will be December 29, 2026.
SEASTARS was born through the dreams of our co-founders, Robin and Chaz Heller. Since our founding in 2004, their mission has become OUR Mission and has been simple yet powerful: To promote and foster the success and growth of children who are economically, physically, and mentally challenged by providing individualized attention as a part of a structured competitive swim team program. To improve the quality of life for challenged children by developing successful student-athlete skills. These skills help aid their pursuit of higher education and achievement of life goals.
Over the years, we have welcomed hundreds of swimmers into our pool, each with their own story, goals, and dreams. We have celebrated first strokes, personal bests, and championship finishes. We have witnessed children who once feared the water grow into confident swimmers, and we have seen friendships blossom between teammates who might never have met outside our program. Our work has always been about more than swimming. It has been about building confidence, fostering inclusion, and creating a space where every person feels valued and supported. For many families, our pool became a second home—a place where challenges were met with encouragement, and where victories, big and small, were celebrated together.
The decision to close was not made lightly. In recent years, we have faced increasing challenges in sustaining our operations—rising costs, reduced funding, and the ongoing difficulty of securing the resources needed to maintain the quality and accessibility of our programs. Despite our best efforts, including fundraising campaigns, grant applications, and community partnerships, we have reached a point where continuing would compromise the standard of care and support our swimmers deserve.
SEASTARS will not be taking additional swim team members beginning immediately and the SEASTARS Swim Team will be dissolved after August 7, 2026.
SEASTARS will continue to offer Swim Lessons through the end of 2026. We will take a break starting August 17th and we will resume swim lessons Wednesday, August 26th.
Please know that our priority during this transition is to support our swimmers and their families. Debbie has compiled a list of local programs, swim teams, and adaptive aquatics resources that may be able to continue your journey in the water. You can reach out to her at purplehaze33310@gmail.com
To our swimmers: thank you for your courage, your determination, and your trust. You have inspired us every single day.
To our families: thank you for your unwavering support, your patience, and your belief in our mission.
To our volunteers, coaches, and donors: thank you for giving your time, energy, and resources to make our vision a reality.
Even though our programs are coming to an end, the legacy of SEASTARS Aquatics will live on in the lives we have touched, the skills we have taught, and the community we have built together. We hope you will carry forward the spirit of inclusion, perseverance, and joy that has defined our work.
While the SEASTARS Aquatics Program will be ending soon, there are new things on the horizon! The mission moving forward will continue to serve students with both Special Needs and Financial Needs — carrying on the inclusive values that have guided SEASTARS all these years. An official announcement will be shared once everything is set in place and ready to go! We are extremely excited about this new chapter and hope to see familiar faces when we get there.
On August 8th, starting at 12:00 P.M. SEASTARS will be hosting an End of Summer/End of Era Party at the beach strip just before Cafe Nola on Pensacola Beach. ALL SEASTARS members, present and past are invited to attend! We would love to see you all there!
Many tears have been shed in the making of this decision, but we are confident in this transition. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this incredible journey. We are proud of what we have accomplished together, and we will cherish these memories always.
With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,
Gracie Miller (Executive Director) graceisast@gmail.com
SEASTARS Aquatics, Inc.