We’ve spent our entire adult lives making water safe and appealing to patrons of all ages. But sometimes it can be too appealing to younger children or those who don’t know how to swim.
Sadly, a child dies from drowning EVERY MINUTE across the globe. It is the leading cause of accidental deaths for children ages 5 and under, and the 2nd leading cause in children 5-14. In the US alone, over 4,000 children die annually. There are over 11 drownings per day, and another 8,000 non-fatal drownings in which the child survives, but can have injuries such as brain damage or a permanent disability. Research shows that males, some racial and ethnic, and socio-economic groups have higher drowning rates than others.
The sadder part is that this is largely preventable. The CDC drowning prevention publication points out that formal swimming lessons can significantly reduce the risk. There is a huge national industry hyper-focused on teaching folks how to swim, with safe, comfortable indoor or outdoor swim schools staffed by trained professionals. However, some folks cannot afford these lessons, nor know where they can get these lessons, and that’s where we can help.
There are a couple of ways that we can help:
License Plate Program: You can upgrade your Florida license plate to the great new “Swim For Life” design from FSPA’s (Florida Spa and Pool Association) Swim For Life Foundation, and help provide free, professional swim lessons to the neediest folks throughout the State of Florida. This will directly help save a life. The license plates, while launched, will not go into production until 3,000 are ordered, so there might be a little lag between when you order and when you receive.
It’s easy to do:
1. Pre-order and pre-pay your new license plate at https://bit.ly/3XLdsJc (you can also order at your local tax collector’s office if you happen to be there)
2. Once we reach the 3,000 order minimum, you’ll get a notice, and can arrange to receive your plate.
3. Make Checks payable to Florida Swims Foundation, 2555 Porter Lake Dr., Ste 106, Sarasota, FL 34240
4. Contact (941) 952-9293 with any questions
Hope Floats Program: Hope Floats Foundation is a charitable organization that partners with high quality swim schools to provide scholarships for swimming lessons for children living in poverty. They raise money by partnering with individuals, businesses, and foundations that want to be a force for good in their communities. Every little bit helps, and donations are tax deductible. CES employees have pooled their resources together for the last two years to provide a significant contribution to sponsor lessons, and are going to up our game for 2023.
Maybe its time to join the movement to help stop senseless loss of precious lives from drowning, and help sponsor swimming lessons using these two proven methods.
Please let us know how we can help.
