Today we’d like to introduce you to Maximus & Jay Cole Devinney.
Hi Maximus & Jay Cole, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My brother Maximus and I are both competitive swimmers in Montgomery County. We currently swim for the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC) as part of the National Training Group as well as with Winston Churchill High School Swim & Dive team.
My brother and I founded Waves4change. Waves4Change was born because my brother Maximus & I felt a calling to share our love for swimming and its many amazing benefits with more kids.
Waves4Change was founded by kids for kids to inspire, support, and empower kids to overcome limitations so they too can experience the joy and magic of swimming. Not only is swimming FUN, knowing how to swim SAVES LIVES! Our MISSION is to Inspire, Support and Empower Kids to Swim by making swimming more accessible. We are collecting swim gear donations and building an inclusive and diverse community so every kid has the opportunity and access to the amazing benefits of swimming.
We aim to inspire and empower kids to swim through Swim Gear Donations. Part of what we do is collect new and used swim gear and donate them to families, swimmers, swim schools, and nonprofit organizations who need them. In addition, we are also building an inclusive community of swimmers and swim families both locally and nationally through various social media platforms as well as swim races and swim events.
Since we launched in February 2024, we have collected over 3300+ pieces worth >$160,000 of swim gear donations that we’ve donated to various swim teams, families in need, as well as nonprofit organizations and swim schools around the country.
To learn more about us, please visit our website (www.waves4change.com),
Our Instagram (@waves4change.official), and our YouTube Channel (@waves4change)
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part of founding Waves4change, as with any project or business, was the beginning. From getting past 100 followers on Instagram to spreading the news and getting people to donate was harder than anything else we did. Only after many months did we eventually gain traction and surpass our $10,000 collection goal. Since then we’ve been climbing to even greater heights, none of which would’ve been possible without the work and determination our team of high school volunteers who have been working hard since the beginning.
Another one of our challenges was getting local approval and permission to hang our signs at put out our donation bins at local pools. We are not an official IRS designated 501c3 nonprofit so many pool operators were initially reluctant in allowing us to collect swim gear. It took many engagements, conversations, and emails to convince the pool operators that we were a legitimate organization out to do good.
Initially, Waves4change was just my brother and I, but as we began to be more successful, we were able to recruit other kids to join our cause. We now have a team of 9 middle and high schoolers to help us.
We also faced significant resistance from our Metro-DC region swimming association. We tried many times to apply for approval to operate at their meets and hang up posters and put out our collection bins. However, our application was denied multiple times. There were occasions when the pool management agreed to allow us to collect swim gear but the swim association overruled the pool and forced us to take down our signs and in an extreme case, even confiscated and threw out our posters and collection bins. This was very discouraging; in addition to throwing away our signs, one of the association board members wrote my brother and I a very harsh and accusatory email. My brother and I were very surprised to receive such a harsh rebuke from the swim official.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My brother and I dedicate a lot of our time to swimming, not just to our nonprofit but in the sport itself. We both compete on the national level and our training entails practicing every day to include several early mornings a week (3:50 a.m wakeup). We are most proud of the difference we are making in our local community and nationally with our donations supporting swim teams and drowning prevention non-profits all over the country.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Delivering our gear in person directly to those who need it has been our greatest pleasure. We’ve been supporting other non-profits and drowning organizations for the past year, but recently we had the opportunity to directly deliver swim gear to other kids in Baltimore, Maryland. It was wonderful to be able to bring the team out and hand-deliver swim gear straight to the kids we serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://waves4change.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waves4change.official/?igsh=MTUwMWw2cXlvcHZjZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@waves4change
