HistOry of BeachReach

The History of BeachReach

In 1980 Buddy Young, who was a seminary student and part-time Baptist Student Ministry director in Dallas, took a small group of students to South Padre Island, Texas, during Spring Break. The group camped in tents on the island and shared the gospel with Spring Breakers as God provided the opportunities. Several years later they began to notice that transportation was a problem, especially during the week of Spring Break. The group realized that they could minister to Spring Breakers by providing free rides.  As they picked up Spring Breakers, they shared the gospel with them, and so began the van ministry. Soon free breakfast was added to the list of ways the group ministered while in South Padre. In 1995 the South Padre BeachReach model expanded to Panama City Beach, Florida. The importance of focusing on sharing the gospel with college students on Spring Break through the “Acts of Kindness” has served as the hallmark of BeachReach.