The Town of Juno Beach's Citizen Of The Year

JUPITER, FL – June 29, 2017 – The Citizen of the Year Award for Juno Beach isn’t something to take lightly —although its recipient, William Kimball, may tell you differently. To him, the award is about recognizing the gifts and talents we all have as humans, and sending those gifts out into our community.

But for those who know Kimball well, the winner was well chosen. To earn the title, a local of Juno Beach must possess a strong commitment to the town, creating positive change for the community, and building it up to new heights. To say Kimball has done this is putting it lightly. From his surf school to his community outreach and charitable work, both locally and internationally, it’s easy to see why Juno Beach presented him with this honor.

Kimball is the longtime founder and owner of Blue Water Surf School, the first surf school of its kind in Palm Beach County and a haven for kids who love (or want to love) the water. The school was opened in 1996, after a simple porch hang with a few of his close friends. “I was sitting on the porch and my friends were having a conversation about swimming lessons coming up in the summer and it was like a light bulb went off in my head and I just said ‘You know what? That’s it. I’m going to create a surf school.’” And with a shoe-string budget and a few flyers, Blue Water Surf School was created.

Since then, the school has expanded to become one of the most well-known and most prestigious surf schools in the world, according to Blue Water Surfing’s website. But it’s Kimball’s approach to kids that has made the school more than just a place to learn how to ride the waves. “When I grew up here (editor’s note: Kimball was born and raised in Juno Beach), there were no surf schools or surf camps or camps really at all,” says Kimball. “I felt like I identified with kids really well—I’m basically a big kid myself—and I enjoyed passing on the art and seeing them get to feel what it’s like to stand on a board, fly over the surface of the water, and get this free feeling that takes everything away.”

Kids learn to surf at Blue Water, but more so, they learn how to be good people. Kimball makes a point to create an environment that teaches children how to not only respect the ocean and the environment, but how to respect each other. “[I want to] teach them about life and instill something in them that is real and pure and honest and [show them] how to not be so caught up in the daily weight of the world,” says Kimball. “I felt like one of my serious obligations in this life was to make kids lives better through entertainment and enjoyment of the ocean. “

Back on land, Kimball is also a musician. What started with a rap career working with Scott Wieser, who is now an EDM Producer and DJ, led to a foray into punk rap and the creation of his own band William Kimball and the hit$how. His passion for music eventually turned into his current career in publishing and licensing, creating songs for movies (most recently, he had a song in Silver Linings Playbook), while still occasionally performing live and writing music. “[Music] is like a sanctuary for me,” says Kimball. “When I feel like it’s time to pick up a guitar and sing, I’ll hide in a room somewhere and play; it’s something I love to do more than anything.”

Beyond his personal interests, Kimball also raises money for the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit that helps protect Earth’s beaches; organizes events to raise money for countries like Haiti and the Philippines; works with Surfers for Autism, creating a safe space by teaching instructors the proper way to get kids in and out of the water; and most recently, he joined forces with his sister, Nicole Rickard, a teacher at The Conservancy School at North Palm Beach, to create Little Pale Control, a program to teach kids about helping the environment by taking pales to school and beaches and cleaning up garbage.

“My goal in life is to try to inspire people, which hopefully inspires me as well,” says Kimball. “I just try to do my best and accept my faults; I don’t claim to be a perfect person getting Citizen of the Year, I’m just a human like everyone else who has little gifts and attributes that I can give to the world.”

To learn more about Will Kimball and Blue Water Surf School, visit www.bluewatersurfing.com.