Every day two children in the United States die from drowning. The YMCA of Western North Carolina is dedicated to working with local Boys and Girls Clubs to reduce that risk for area children.
More than 300 Boys and Girls Club day campers from the Hendersonville Boys and Girls Club, Cindy Platt Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County, and Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club in Asheville are benefiting from free YMCA Safety Around Water sessions this month.
“Drowning is the second-leading cause of death for kids age 5-14,” said Tina Weaver, director of program development at the YMCA of WNC. “Our Safety Around Water program teaches children how to reduce the risk of drowning and gives them confidence in and around water.”
Generous donors make it possible for the YMCA of WNC to offer the Safety Around Water program at no charge to 500 children a year.
One of those children is Samara, who recently completed the Safety Around Water course at the Reuter Family YMCA. “Samara had never swum before,” said YMCA Aquatics Director Whitney Anderson. “The first day she didn’t even want to get into the water. But after a week she learned the ‘jump, push, turn, grab’ method, which could save her life someday.”
When it comes to swimming and water safety, no one is trusted more than the YMCA, America’s Swim Instructor. In fact, the YMCA developed group swim instruction in 1906.
The YMCA of WNC teaches more than 3,200 local children how to swim each year. Learn more about the YMCA’s swimming curriculum at ymcawnc.org/swim-lessons.