McLean's Dr. Bryna Helfer Honored For 35 Years Of Adaptive Aquatics Service

MCLEAN, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized Dr. Bryna Helfer on Tuesday for 35 years of leading the Spring Hill Recreation Center's Adapted Aquatics Program, celebrating a program that has helped people with physical disabilities gain confidence, independence and community through swimming.

The resolution, introduced by Board Chairman Jeff McKay (At-Large) and Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville), honored Helfer for founding the program in 1991 after arriving in Northern Virginia two years earlier and working as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist serving people with traumatic brain injuries.

According to the resolution, the Spring Hill Adapted Aquatics Fitness and Swimming Class has welcomed teens and adults from across the Washington metropolitan region for 35 years, providing adapted swimming and water-based exercise while fostering lifelong friendships among swimmers, families, caregivers and volunteers. The resolution also recognized Helfer's role in creating "a lasting legacy of inclusion, dignity, and community service" in Fairfax County.

Program Credited With Changing Lives

Bierman, who said he learned to swim at Spring Hill Recreation Center while growing up nearby, praised Helfer for building a welcoming community through the program.

"What you have done at Spring Hill, building a community and building a community that empowers people to feel free, to feel included, to enjoy and experience everything that everyone gets to experience when they jump in the water ... is just so important," Bierman said. "It's in keeping with One Fairfax. It's in keeping with bringing more people into recreational spaces."

Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer (D-Braddock) shared how the program affected her own family.

"My son learned to swim because of Adapted Aquatics, and because of that, he was then able to go on and participate in his community pool swim team," she said. "People like you literally made my son's life better."

McKay said Helfer's influence extends well beyond Spring Hill, inspiring similar adaptive aquatics programs throughout Fairfax County while advancing accessibility and inclusion through her broader public service career.

"I had no idea the empowerment and the freedom that comes with adaptive aquatics," McKay said. "You literally started a movement with so many different groups."

'The Water Is Magical'

Accepting the recognition, Helfer thanked Fairfax County Park Authority staff, families, caregivers and volunteers who have supported the program over the past three-and-a-half decades.

"I am one piece of the puzzle," Helfer said. "I want to thank the entire Fairfax County Park Authority ... these folks behind us have helped us carry this. Their leadership has been tremendous."

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She also recognized the volunteers who have devoted thousands of hours to the program, including her husband, Lewis, who began volunteering after they started dating 35 years ago and has remained with the program ever since.

Reflecting on what makes the program special, Helfer described the unique experience participants find in the pool.

"The water is magical. It's freeing," she said. "It's equalizing. There's no better place. We leave all of our challenges on the land, and we create new challenges in the water and new victories for overcoming fear and setting goals and really just kicking butt in the pool every day."

Helfer highlighted swimmers who have participated in the program for decades, including one participant who progressed from being afraid of the water to independently swimming up to a half-mile during each session.

"I've done a lot of things in my life," Helfer said. "This one is the most fun. I hope to do it for many more years, and I hope all of you will come and get in the pool with us soon."