The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors honored Dr. Bryna Helfer on Tuesday for 35 years of leading the Adapted Aquatics Program at Spring Hill Recreation Center in McLean.

The program draws teens and adults with physical disabilities from across the Washington metro region to swim, build strength and find community.

Board Chairman Jeff McKay and Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) introduced the resolution recognizing Helfer, a certified therapeutic recreation specialist who founded the program in 1991. She had arrived in Northern Virginia two years earlier, working with people recovering from traumatic brain injuries, before launching the adapted swimming class at Spring Hill.

Bierman, who grew up near the rec center and learned to swim there himself, spoke directly to Helfer during the board meeting.

"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.

Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer (D-Braddock) offered a personal tribute, telling Helfer that her son learned to swim through the Adapted Aquatics program and went on to join his community pool swim team. She told Helfer that people like her "literally made my son's life better."

McKay said Helfer's work has inspired similar adaptive aquatics programs throughout Fairfax County.

Helfer deflected the spotlight, crediting the Fairfax County Park Authority staff and the volunteers who have sustained the program alongside her. Her husband, Lewis, began volunteering with the class after the couple started dating 35 years ago and has remained ever since.

"The water is magical. It's freeing. It's equalizing," Helfer told the board. "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."

The resolution recognized Helfer for creating what it called "a lasting legacy of inclusion, dignity and community service" in Fairfax County, noting the program has fostered lifelong friendships among swimmers, families, caregivers and volunteers.

The Spring Hill Adapted Aquatics Fitness and Swimming Class continues to meet at Spring Hill Recreation Center, 1239 Spring Hill Road, McLean. Residents can find current class schedules and registration information at fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/reccenter/swimming.