Make a Splash Grant Program provides reduced cost

Nico Payne Posted: Jul 25, 2017 11:50 AM MST  Updated: Jul 25, 2017 12:16 PM MST EL CENTRO, Calif. – The city of El Centro received funds to help provide free or reduced cost swim lessons for children.

The USA Swimming foundation awarded the grant as part of the Make a Splash Grant Foundation.During the hot summer months many people take to the pool to keep cool, but if you don’t take the proper safety precautions swimming can be very dangerous.News 11 spoke to city officials and a swim coach on why swim safety is so important in the desert southwest.

Source: Local city receives funding for swim lessons – KYMA

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By: Sarah Thompson @WOKV_SarahJuly 17, 2017 4:15 PM PDTPhoto Credit: FatCamera/Getty Images/iStockphoto0Jacksonville, FL –

Teaching children to be safe around water is a necessity, not a luxury.  That’s why Florida Blue plans to donate a significant grant to YMCA of Florida’s First Coast in support of its drowning prevention program– ‘Safety Around Water.’  The support will allow the YMCA to provide free swim lessons to more than 800 additional children on the First Coast. At a state-wide level, Florida Blue’s assistance will benefit more than 5,000 children.  Drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4-years-old and is the second leading cause of death for children from 5 to 14-years-old.  Florida Blue will make the official grant announcement Tuesday, July 18, at the Winston Family YMCA.  As new details are released, WOKV will update this story.

Source: Florida Blue announces significant grant to support YMCA’s Drowning Pr | Depend On WOKV – Jacksonville’s News, Weather, and Traffic | www.wokv.com

As temperatures rise and people head to pools and lakes to cool off, a University of Guelph professor is reminding parents that swimming lessons — especially for young children — may not be enough to prevent drowning.

Source: Swimming lessons no substitute for supervision, Guelph professor says – Kitchener-Waterloo – CBC News

Michael Phelps – Pool Safely

a poolside press event over the weekend, hosted at a Boys & Girls Club in Chicago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Pool Safely campaign and the Michael Phelps Foundation announced a new partnership focused on addressing a serious public health crisis: child drownings. Michael Phelps – Pool SafelyPool Safely and the Michael Phelps Foundation will collaborate to promote each other’s efforts to help prevent fatal and non-fatal child drownings in swimming pools and spas across the country. The Michael Phelps Foundation joins more than 1,000 Pool Safely partners that work together to educate individuals and families nationwide about the importance of being safer in and around the water.“CPSC is excited to collaborate with the greatest swimmer in the history of the sport and his Foundation to help educate millions of Americans and their families about the simple water safety steps that can save lives,” said CPSC Commissioner Joseph Mohorovic, who participated in today’s event. “By working together in a public-private partnership, Pool Safely and the Michael Phelps Foundation’s im program will help kids have a safer time in and around the water, this summer and beyond.”“We are pleased to partner with CPSC’s national drowning prevention campaign and continue to raise awareness for water safety initiatives,” said Michael Phelps, President of the Michael Phelps Foundation. “Our im program reaches thousands of youth and young adults year-round with water safety, wellness and goal-setting programming. The progress we have made to date is very encouraging, but we have more work to do. We are committed to helping people have a better understanding of how to be safer, yet still have fun, in and around the water. Join us – and other Olympic swimmers – in taking the Pool Safely Pledge!”“New data from the Pool Safely campaign shows a 17 percent decline in fatal drownings in pools since 2010 among the most vulnerable population: children younger than five,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “We are making progress, but we need even more kids taking swim lessons, more adults serving as Water Watchers, more fences installed, and more people trained in CPR. Today’s swimming lesson with Michael and his Foundation serves as a reminder of the importance of all children learning how to swim — no matter where they live or what their circumstance.”At the partnership event, clinic participants received swim instruction, as well as learned about the importance of water safety. Children also took the Pool Safely Pledge, which affirms that they will: never swim alone, ask parents for swimming lessons, and stay away from drains in pools and hot tubs.Since its inception in 2010, the Pool Safely campaign has developed a network of partners that serve as the lifeblood of the campaign. These groups include local safety organizations to national entities, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Walmart, the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and the Boy Scouts of America. Pool Safely partners have played a critical part in the campaign’s effort to increase awareness of water safety and prevent fatal and nonfatal child drownings and drain entrapments in pools and spas.Pool Safely is CPSC’s public education and outreach effort to prevent drownings and entrapments in swimming pools and spas.

The campaign provides a number of resources to help parents teach their children about water safety, including a new Kids Corner on the campaign’s newly designed website where parents will find:• the Pool Safely Song, written and recorded by children’s performer Laurie Berkner;• “The Adventures of Splish and Splash” smartphone app, available for free download on Android and Apple products; and• the Pool Safely Pledge, with Pledges specifically designed for kids (adults should take their version as well).

Source: https://www.looktothestars.org

Olympic Ambassadors Jessica Hardy and Jason Lezak kick off USA Swimming Foundation’s first-ever Make a Splash Games.

How Children Can Learn to Swim for Free MAY 11, 2017 – 11:08 AM  –  By LEAH INGRAM  @theleahingram

Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. With beaches and community pools opening, the need for children to learn to swim becomes top-of-mind once again. Why is that? Because drowning is still the second leading cause of accidental death of children under age 14 in the United States.One of the best ways to prevent accidental deaths at pools and beaches? Teach your children to swim. Swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent.I know that my parents started taking me to swimming lessons before I entered elementary school. My own daughters started learning to swim with lessons when they were still in preschool.It’s a reality that not every family can afford swimming lessons like ours could, but that doesn’t mean there is no way to learn to swim. In fact, there is an option many might not know about that fits any budget.Free and low-cost ways to learn to swimSince 2007, the USA Swimming Foundation’s “Make a Splash” initiative has given nearly 5 million children the gift of free or low-cost swim lessons. This is done through the Foundation’s partnership with over 850 local pool partners. This gives children in America the opportunity to learn to swim—regardless of race, gender or financial circumstances. (Use this link on the USA Swimming Foundation’s website to find a free or cheap swimming lesson near you.)

Source: https://parade.com

Photo: Alma E. Hernandez /For The San Antonio Express News

Kylin Balin, 10, will be receiving a livesaving award from the Girl Scouts of the USA for rescuing a boy at a swimming pool.Kylin Bain was sitting at the edge of the pool at a family gathering in Port Arthur last October when she noticed that a younger child had strayed into the deep end and appeared to be in trouble.“He kept going under,” said Kylin, a 10-year-old fourth-grader at St. Monica Catholic School.Though she felt pretty comfortable in the shallow end of the pool, she had never had formal swim training, much less lifesaving lessons. Even so, when she saw that little boy struggling and heard his grandmother scream for help, Kylin sprang into action.“I slapped down my phone and I dived in and I pulled him until he could stand up,” she said.It was a tough thing to do. Though the boy was a year younger, he was taller than her. And he was frightened.“He was kind of grabbing me and trying to sink me in (the water) because he was scared,” Kylin said. “He was holding on to my waist and I had to go under water and swim.”MOST POPULAR1 Exxon chooses site near Corpus for massive $9.3B petrochemical…2 Popular anchor exits S.A. TV; likable vet in her place3 Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki cheers Spurs playoff push, is…The incident was scary for the adults, too.“Everybody was in shock because she just dove in,” said Kylin’s mom, Felicia Bain. “I’m like, ‘She can’t swim.’ It definitely shows you how somebody can drown in a split-second because we were just kind of standing there with our mouths open.”Kylin, who is an active member of Girl Scout Troop 1318 in Schertz, will be recognized for her bravery at a ceremony in May. She will receive the Lifesaving Bronze Cross from the Girl Scouts of the USA. The award is given to scouts for saving or attempting to save someone’s life while putting their own lives at risk.Kylin’s troop leader, Angela Roundtree, said she was surprised when she heard about what happened — “Her mother had said Kylin is not a good swimmer” — but she’s also proud.“It shows these girls can do anything,” she said.After this summer, the list of things Kylin can do will grow by at least one: Her mom and her dad will be signing her up for swim lessons.Formal swim lessons are a key to water safety, said Crystal Vega, association aquatics director for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. Lessons ingrain skills so that if a swimmer finds herself in trouble, she knows what to do, decreasing the odds that a tragedy will occur.“I just had a mother tell me that she was at the lake with her daughter, who is 4, and she fell into the water,” Vega said. “She just rolled onto her back.”More InformationWater safety tipsKnow what you’re doing, and make sure your kids do, too. Enroll the little ones in swim lessons and, if you can’t swim, sign yourself up, too. The YMCA offers parent/child classes for families. It also offers scholarships for those who need help covering fees.Supervise youngsters in the water closely. The YMCA, for instance, requires that a parent be within arm’s length of any swimmer age 6 or younger.Start early. Babies can begin building the foundation for water skills as early as 6 months. Those classes emphasize play and comfort in the water and progress from there as the youngsters develop their skills.Hire a lifeguard for pool parties. If that’s not possible, make sure someone will take responsibility for keeping an eye on those in the water. That person should make sure that they scan the pool carefully, focusing not just on the surface but below it, too.Make sure that life jackets and other flotation devices are Coast Guard-approved. That designation indicates that it’s actual safety equipment. Without it, the device “is not certified to save your life,” said Crystal Vega, association aquatics director for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.Deborah MartinSource: YMCA of Greater San AntonioThe little girl, who has been taking swim lessons at the Y, didn’t seem shaken by what happened, the mom told Vega. Instead, she said, “she was mad because she got dirty.”The national YMCA spent three years updating the way that it teaches swimming, placing the emphasis on water safety.The San Antonio Y also is developing a program to offer free swim lessons at apartment pools this summer. Two children in Bexar County drowned in apartment pools last year, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.“We want to curb the drowning rate,” Vega said.

dlmartin@express-news.netTwitter: @DeborahMartinEN

Source: San Antonio Girl Scout will be honored for preventing a drowning – San Antonio Express-News

Our Fathers Are DrowningSo much of drowning prevention is focused on children, and it should be. Well over six-hundred children under the age of 15 drown in the United States each year and it is a tragedy that deserves the attention of all of us. So visceral is the pain of the loss of a child that the news of these losses affects us and inspires us to act. We can hardly imagine anything worse. But there is one group of people that can imagine something worse and, every year – with painful regularity – they experience it. That group is our children themselves. Pain doesn’t know your age. When a young child loses a parent that too creates a wound that never fully heals.Each year, about two-thousand adult men drown in the U.S. and eight or nine-hundred of them are fathers of young children. So every year more than two-thousand children survive the drowning death of their dads and have to press on. This reality – that 60% of all drowning deaths are adult males – most of whom have children – seems to have gotten lost in the message. For their children’s sake, at least, we should renew our interest in this otherwise unspoken statistic.When I’m asked why it is true that adult males drown more than anyone else, the questions come with possible answers: Is it because they can’t swim? Do they take more risks? Is alcohol involved? Are they more likely to try and save others and then fail? My first answer is usually, “Yes – it’s partly all of those things and some others.” But, after years of looking at the data and sadly seeing it mostly flat-lined with no progress, I think the first and best thing we can do as a community to work this problem is to talk about it more.Trying to fix this by looking at all the causes of adult drowning would be overwhelming. It is too much to handle at once. This is true of childhood drowning as well. It’s the reason we need an “alliance” in the first place. These things have to be addressed on multiple fronts. Some groups work on the safe operation of pools and waterfronts; others on childhood education or courses on parenting. To fix the problem massive problem of adult-male drowning, we’re going to have to do the same. We need to talk about alcohol around water. We need to work on teaching more adults to swim. Men need to learn about aquatic risk. Rip current safety? Of course. But none of that will work if we don’t start by addressing the overarching problem: many men don’t believe they are as vulnerable as they actually are.Everything I’ve written so far is gleaned easily enough by searching the CDC and Census data. But why it’s happening? I’m sorry, but I have no real data to prove this theory, but I’ve seen it too many times to let the opinion go. We need a campaign that teaches men that their completely capable peers drown all the time and that they can too. They need to hear the stories of capable swimmers succumbing to cold water during early spring swims. They need to recognize that it isn’t about “tough” or “in shape” or even about their concepts of careful around water. Men need to learn that drowning is not just a kid problem. The water doesn’t know your age and does not discriminate. Men need to believe for themselves the drowning is something that can happen to them.The first part of solving any problem is recognizing one exists. Most of the people who will drown this year will be adult men. As an alliance, we have to talk about this more. We have to work on reaching the fathers of children as well as their moms. We have to talk about the whole problem of drowning. We have to talk about not just the fear of every parent, but the fear of many children as well. If we can get fathers to understand that they too can drown, we might just create more dads who stay around and then teach their children to be safe around the water as well.

Source: Our Fathers Are Drowning – Mario Vittone