Aqua awarded $50,000 in grants to fund swim lessons and water safety programs to Help Keep Families Safe Around Water
Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, is helping more families be safe and sure while they enjoy the water this summer through a $50,000 investment in community-based water safety programs. The donations were made through the company’s Essential Foundation as part of Aqua’s new Sure Splash initiative.
As a drinking water and wastewater service provider, Aqua knows the importance of safety in and around water, as well as how fun water can be. Whether you beat the heat at community pools and beaches or enjoy fishing or boating on our rivers and bays, Aqua urges you to make safety a top priority.
An unfortunate reality, drowning is a leading cause of death for children in the U.S., and more than a third of adults cannot swim one pool length, according to the USA Swimming Foundation. Even worse are the disparities for Black and Brown youth, who are at a much higher risk of drowning than their Caucasian peers due to a history of segregation and lack of access to water safety education, among other barriers. Thankfully, many nonprofit organizations are tackling these issues head-on, offering swim lessons and other water safety programs to help prevent drownings.
That includes The Nile Swim Club of Yeadon, now using its Sure Splash grant for their aptly titled program, No Child Will Drown in Our Town ®. The Nile is the nation’s first black-owned swim club and recipient of the first Pennsylvania historical marker in Yeadon, Delaware County. “It is our mission to remove the financial burden present in aquatics and provide free swimming lessons to every child. We aim to decrease the amount of drownings in children and uplift families in our community through swimming,” says Anthony F. Patterson, President of Nile Swim Club. Since 1959, the Nile has been a welcoming place to all, including the likes of Will Smith, D.J. Cash Money, Harry Belafonte, and members of the Supremes. Now, their instructors give the gift of swimming to more than 1,000 children and teenagers each year, and they are planning to educate even more this summer thanks to Aqua’s donation.
Meanwhile, the Hamilton Area YMCA is putting their funding to work providing free life-saving swim lessons and summer camp for children in underserved communities. Aqua New Jersey President Natalie Chesko visited the campers at their Sawmill branch on Wednesday, July 17, getting a first-hand look at all the fun. “What a pleasure it is to be here and see these young campers enjoying this incredibly important program.” said Chesko. “It is truly a spectacular environment for these children and a great way for them to beat the heat while learning skills that will stick with them the rest of their lives. It is an honor for Aqua to play a role in this wonderful camp and work with the YMCA team.”
Another grantee, Horizons at Episcopal Academy, stresses that swimming is not just a life-saving skill, but a confidence-building one for their Philly-area students. Horizons is an award-winning, tuition-free academic and enrichment program serving students facing systematic inequities in education. Through Horizons’ swim program, students build trust and self-esteem, qualities that positively influence their classroom experience. Learning to swim also encourages attention to detail, commitment to goals, resilience, and healthy lifestyles. Many of their students start the program as non-swimmers, often afraid of the water. But, with the help of a dedicated aquatics team that understands and guides the students in a supportive learning environment, this fear turns into a beloved activity, with some students even going on to become lifeguards.
Executive Director Ryan Learn has shared, “We are incredibly grateful for the generous partnership and support from Aqua. Their commitment to our swim program will make a significant impact on our students' lives. Our students overwhelmingly enjoy swimming, and through this sponsorship, we can ensure that our program continues to thrive, fostering their enthusiasm and growth."
The Greater Philadelphia YMCA, no stranger to swim lessons, is utilizing their grant funding to offer a different kind of life-saving program at their Willow Grove and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania locations. The “Y’s” all-ages Safety Around Water program provides accessible, basic instruction designed to build a foundation for lifelong swimming skills and instill confidence in and around water. The four-week curriculum bridges water safety preparedness and swimming instruction. Classes begin with water acclimation and build toward techniques for movement and stamina. Courses are flexible, including families learning together or focusing on youth by age, including infants and toddlers. Participants reduce their fear of water, learn to problem-solve and react calmly, and are on their way to becoming strong swimmers. Many program graduates go on to join swimming lessons or teams. The Philadelphia “Y” is proud to offer the program at no cost to schools, community partners, and the public, with increased capacity thanks to Aqua’s support.
The final grantee of Aqua’s inaugural Sure Splash program is Kaiserman Jewish Community Center in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The “JCC” has long been a swimming destination for those in Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties; their outdoor pool serves hundreds of families every summer, and their programs are open to all. In addition to offering private and group swim lessons for new and experienced swimmers throughout the summer, their summer camp, Camp Kef, offers swim instruction and water safety to more than 500 children each year. Whenever possible, the JCC works to subsidize the costs of its programs for families needing assistance. With Aqua’s support, the JCC estimates they will be able to offer water safety and swim instruction to 100 more children this year, helping to meet the goal of reducing childhood drownings.
