Meet Meghan Bigelow, Big Waves, Co-Founder
Meghan recently had the chance to share the Big Waves story with Shoutout Colorado. They asked how we came up with the idea of Big Waves, what sets us apart from other nonprofits, what challenges we faced, and what Meghan would recommend if you’re visiting Colorado. Read Meghan’s heartfelt response below.
Hi Meghan, how did you come up with the idea for your nonprofit?
The concept for Big Waves Inc was born out of a tragedy. On June 14, 2018, our lives changed forever when our eldest son, Vaughn Jr., was shot and killed in an act of road rage. While we were going through the worst days of our lives as a family, we were surrounded with support and love from our family and community and it made us realize that no other family should ever have to experience such a loss. We wanted to do “something” to help prevent further gun violence. At the same time, we wanted to honor our son and his life. Big Waves stands for Bring Impact Globally With A Very Energetic Smile. Vaughn Jr. always had a smile on his face and was a very spirited boy.
Because of this, our mission at Big Waves is twofold. We are working to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by gun accidents and gun violence by providing education, programming, and safe gun storage to anyone who is in need. Our equally important goal is to enrich students’ lives through the sport of water polo, awarding collegiate scholarships and providing a constructive outlet for youth through the promotion of team sports to help process difficult emotions. it encompasses Vaughn Jr.
Vaughn Jr. loved water polo. He loved being in the water, playing with a ball, and engaging with his teammates. Vaughn Jr. attended his first water polo clinic in the summer of 2014. He came home grinning and exclaiming how much he loved it. For the next four years, Vaughn Jr. played water polo year-round. He participated in the Junior Olympics and made the Mountain Zone Olympic Development Team. Because water polo was such a significant part of Vaughn Jr.’s life, Big Waves is dedicated to growing water polo in Colorado. Colorado has a very small water polo community, and with the support of Big Waves, The Colorado High School Water Polo Association has doubled in size. We continue to bring meaning to Big Waves’ mission and honor Vaughn Jr. by encouraging school districts to include water polo as a school-sponsored program and as well as awarding the Vaughn Bigelow Jr. Scholarship annually to a graduating senior who has played water polo in high school.
With the staggering amount of gun violence in our nation, combined with being victims of gun violence ourselves, we feel compelled to bring awareness to firearm safety and education. Through our free gun lock program, we believe every gun lock Big Waves ships is a life saved. Big Waves sponsors youth gun safety education classes at gun ranges. Bringing awareness to youth allows conversations with parents to evolve.
Mental health is at the intersection of Big Waves’ two primary missions. Vaughn Jr. had ADHD. He struggled at times with fitting in and finding his people. Being in the pool with water, movement, and noise was his happy place.
We will be launching a mental health program, Balanced Mind for Student Athletes, this year. Student athletes have pressure, expectations, life decisions, and leadership to balance while developing into adults. This is a stressful time during their lives and the Big Waves program will remind them they are not alone.
Although Big Waves emerged from a horrible catastrophe, we are dedicated to creating ripples of positivity within our community.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your nonprofit? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
It is not easy to launch a non-profit after the loss of your child. Vaughn and I are now part of a club we never wanted to be in. With the free gun lock program, we believe each gun lock saves a life. We are doing our part, trying to make the world a safer place. We are so proud that we have been able to ship gun locks to all but one state in the US. Because of this, we know we are making the entire country just a little bit safer for families.
We have learned throughout this process that your village will show up. We have family and friends who have supported Big Waves since its inception. Many of our volunteers are friends near and far that continuously and willingly give their time and talent. With our volunteers, we have been able to continue our gun lock program, as well as continue to raise funds for gun education and college scholarships.
Big Waves Scholarship recipients.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado has so much diversity of entertainment and food, there is always something to wow visitors. In the summer, a trip to any of the local golf courses and farmer’s markets are a must. Happy hour on a patio at one of the local breweries or distilleries like Windfall or Acreage is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. Paddle boarding on Lake Union gets in some muscle work before heading to the St. Julien spa in Boulder.
In the winter, a trip up I-70, preferably not a Friday afternoon, to ski or snowshoe Beaver Creek is the best way to “not exactly rough it”. Seeing a show at the Buell Theater or playing a round at Putt Shack is an eventful evening.
Big Waves hosts an annual family 5K in the fall.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big Waves would like to shoutout our Board Members – Ashley Wilkinson, Sean Whalen, Joe Youngblood, Cristy Schaefer, Joe Perrotto, and Brian Hoven. We could not run our golf tournament and 5k without our amazing volunteers!
We would also like to shoutout Sarah Spoelstra at Moonshine Design and Erinn Campton for working magic with our social media, website, newsletters, and grants. Lastly, Big Waves wants to thank our families for the continued love and support.