The USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, and Swimways Corp. extended their partnership, which promotes the importance of teaching children to swim and be safer around the water.
The two organizations, which have partnered since 2016, will continue to team up in both the retail and philanthropic spaces to give children the necessary tools to learn to swim, regardless of race, gender, or financial circumstance. In conjunction, Swimways will remain an official sponsor of the USA Swimming Foundation, providing financial support to help fund free or reduced-cost swim lessons for children in underserved communities through the foundation’s Make a Splash initiative.
The organizations will also continue to support Swimways’ annual National Learn to Swim Day, a nationwide campaign that raises awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim. In years past, Olympians and USA Swimming Foundation ambassadors Elizabeth Beisel and Rowdy Gaines have supported the impactful day, which takes place the third Saturday of May each year.
According to a 2017 study completed by the USA Swimming Foundation, 64 percent of African-American children, 45 percent of Hispanic children and 40 percent of Caucasian children have no/low swimming ability, putting them at risk of drowning. With drowning as the second leading cause of accidental death for children 14 years and younger, according to the CDC, the partnership between the USA Swimming Foundation and SwimWays actively works to combat and improve these statistics.
