Meet the Founders
Justin Cooke
Founder
&
Executive Director
Jenna Goldsmith
Founder
&
Director of Operations
It was at the beginning of Justin's career, in Salt Lake City, Utah where he began working in marketing. Excelling quickly, he was able to open his own firm in Colorado and then again in Iowa. During this time, he was invited by the Future Business Leaders of America Organization to work as a liaison, judge, and mentor for students involved in the program.
With the passing of his grandfather, Justin made the decision to pursue his ambitions of furthering his education. He enrolled in business classes at the local community college but soon ignited a new passion to pursue healthcare. Justin then moved to Florida to continue his education at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton. It is here that he jumped into Adapted Aquatics and began developing the Splash Pals Adapted Aquatics program where he cherishes every opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.
While attending FAU, Justin also started the "A Bear Because We Care" program, where students hand make teddy bears for foster children, mass shooting victims, and elderly individuals within the community. Justin also worked with the Bionic Glove Project, developing 3D printed prosthetic hands to be donated to children with congenital hand deformations.
Throughout his undergraduate education, Justin worked hard and had plans to attend medical school. It wasn't long after graduation however, with the amount of positive impact the Splash Pals program was making in the lives of others and his own, that he decided to delay his ambitions of attending medical school to continue to develop the Splash Pals program.
Jenna was born and raised in a small town, where the importance of aiding others, volunteering within the community, and practicing kindness was instilled within her at a young age. Growing up, she watched her dad volunteer with the local Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, putting his life in danger so others could live. As an Audiologist, her mom helped children hear to the best of their ability in their daily lives, so they could access instruction and become involved social children. Also, before suddenly passing away, Jenna's brother went on to medical school and entered into a general surgery residency, teaching her to have perseverance and dedication towards her passion for people.
Helping others has been a passion of Jenna’s since she could walk. Throughout her life, she has been involved in many extracurricular activities where she became familiar with numerous sports-related injuries and how to overcome the pain and discomfort related to those injuries. Jenna has also spent her time helping brighten poverty level neighborhoods by planting flowers and restoring sidewalks, as a part of Urban Plunge, and has also volunteered to help the local Good Neighbor Home and serving breakfast with the local volunteer fire department.
Jenna graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Art in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, and a Master of Exceptional Student Education with a focus in Applied Behavior Analysis. Working with children with disabilities at Splash Pals Adapted Aquatics has been one of the most rewarding experiences Jenna has ever had. Observing and finding ways to aid another human being and to help them overcome an obstacle that is hindering their daily life is an experience she treasures every single day.
Splash Pals has had such an impact on Jenna's life that she stepped back from pursing a career in Physical Therapy and began to focus on her executive role with Splash Pals full-time. She even decided to earn her Master in Exceptional Student Education to bring an additional level of Applied Behavior Analysis into the Splash Pals Adapted Aquatics program.