By Eleni Himaras
reporter@ltview.com
It’s been less than a year since 4-year-old Lake Pointe resident Colin Holst drowned in a kiddie pool that was manned by lifeguards.

Shortly after his death, his parents learned a frightening statistic — drowning is second only to car accidents in the cause of accidental deaths in children younger than 14. They made it their mission to educate other parents and families on the dangers of drowning and founded a non-profit organization, Colin’s Hope.
“This has just been so therapeutic — educating parents and children. There is no water safety month, no water safety week,” Colin’s mother, Jana Holst said.
Their first fundraiser was the creation of Colin’s Cookbook. After Colin’s death, the family was flooded with support from family and friends in the form of food and recipes. They got the idea to put all those recipes together and sell a cookbook to raise money for their organization.
The cookbook has sold hundreds of copies and raised more than $10,000 but is just the tip of the iceberg for the foundation, which has eight events in the next month and a half alone. Both parents work full time, Jana in pharmaceutical sales and Jeff in software development.
“The first thing you give up is sleep,” Jeff Holst, Colin’s father, said.
April 23, the group will hold its first Colin’s Hope Classic Gof Tournament at the Yaupon Golf Club in Lakeway. Since registration opened in late January, they’ve already met more than half of their $40,000 fundraising goal.
Garret Weber-Gale, a 2008 Gold Medal Olympian and University of Texas Alum will be the honorary chair for the tournament, which costs $150 per person and includes a spot in the 4-person scramble, lunch, dinner and donated prizes.
The foundation raises money for various programs including sponsoring swim lessons for underprivileged children; and educating parents, children and lifeguards on water safety.
“It’s such a widespread issue. We knew we could make an impact, just not to which degree,” Jeff said. “Our piece of this puzzle is bridging the gap between the knowledge and the parents.”
One of the many issues they are working on is with the state to create and automated research venue that would keep better statistics on water-related accidents and water safety information to make it more easily available to the public.
They have teamed up with the Bee Cave Public Library to host a poster contest, which will run through April 20. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to create a water safety poster to be exhibited and judged at the Bee Cave Public Library using the theme “Be cool in the pool and ‘Buddy Up.’”
“All grade groups, they get a prize. There will be the most best poster at the end and they will get a $100 gift card [to the Hill Country Galleria],” said Kayla Holst, Colin’s older sister who has been helping her parents every step of the way.
The Holsts recently went to the Bee Cave Public Library to donate a variety of Colin’s favorite books to the children’s section.
In addition to the previously mentioned events, upcoming Colin’s Hope fundraisers include the Bee Cave Primrose Spring Fling benefit March 27, the Hill Country Climb for Colin March 28, the Four Point Primrose Spring Fling benefit April 3, the Toros charity night April 7, the Bee Cave Fish City Grill “First Tuesday Benefit” May 5, and the West Austin Athletic Club and Colin’s Hope water safety day May 15.
For more information on any of the events and the Holsts visit colinshope.org or call 524-6737.