Courtesy: USA Swimming Foundation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In its continued effort to make swim lessons accessible for every child across the country, the USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, has awarded an additional $95,739 in its second round of yearly grant funding to swim lessons providers throughout the country. This award brings 2019’s total USA Swimming Foundation grant distributions to $618,200. This money will help fund free or reduced-cost swim lessons in underserved communities around the country.
“It is so exciting to see the impact these funds make in the lives of these children and these communities,” USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Program Director Tina Dessart said. “Formal swim lessons help reduce the risk of drowning by almost 88 percent and swimming is a life-saving skill that all children should have access to, regardless of race, gender or financial circumstance. If you are a parent or grandparent and the children in your life have not yet learned to swim, we urge you to locate a swim lesson provider in your area.”
2019 By The Numbers:
- Grant funding awarded by USA Swimming Foundation: $618,200
- Number of children served free or reduced-cost swim lessons through USA Swimming Foundation Funding: 32,210
- Number of learn-to-swim programs awarded funding by USA Swimming Foundation: 117
Over the past 12 years, more than 1.3 million children have received formalized swim instruction through $6.3 million in grants distributed through the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash swim lesson provider network.
The USA Swimming Foundation awards grants to swim lesson providers in its national network every year through a competitive application and review process. In total, the USA Swimming Foundation boasts a network that spans more than 1,000 quality swim lesson providers in all 50 states. These swim lesson providers promote water safety education in their communities and provide scholarship opportunities for children to participate in their swim lesson programs. Through these efforts, more than 7.5 million children in total have learned to swim through the Make a Splash swim lesson provider network.
The final round of 2019 grant recipients:
- Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA (Phoenix, Ariz.)
- AnT Swim School, LLC (Palo Alto, Calif.)
- Boston Public Health Commission (Boston, Mass.)
- Boys & Girls Club of Humboldt (Humboldt, Tenn.)
- Brigantine Aquatic Center (Brigantine, N.J.)
- Brooklyn Center Community Center (Brooklyn Center, Minn.)
- Cecil County Family YMCA (Elkton, Md.)
- City of Riverside-Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (Riverside, Calif.)
- Duluth Area Family YMCA (Duluth, Minn.)
- Frontline Outreach Sports Center (Orlando, Fla.)
- Greater Holyoke YMCA (Holyoke, Mass.)
- Independent School District 622 (North St. Paul, Minn.)
- JCC Mid-Westchester (Scarsdale, N.Y.)
- Lower Shore Family YMCA (Pocomoke, Md.)
Pauline F. and W. David Robbins Family YMCA (Cambridge, Md.) - Ransburg YMCA (Indianapolis, Ill.)
- Raritan Valley YMCA (East Brunswick, N.J.)
- Richmond Swims (Richmond, Calif.)
- SOS Sink or Swim (St. Michaels, Md.)
- Taos Swim Club (Taos, N.M.)
- The Gift of Swimming (Winter Garden, Fla.)
- TideWater Adaptive Aquatics Center (Woodbury, N.J.)
- Valley of the Sun YMCA (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
- YMCA of Greater Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.)
- YMCA of Greater Charlotte- Johnston YMCA (Charlotte, N.C.)
- YMCA of Harrison County (Corydon, Ind.)
- YMCA of Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.)
- YMCA of The Greater Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- YWCA of Asheville and WNC (Asheville, N.C.)
For a full list of all 117 2019 USA Swimming Foundation grant recipients, and to find a swim lesson provider near you, please visit: https://www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
The 2020 grant application window will open on October 1, 2019 for Spring 2020 awards. Swim lesson providers interested in the USA Swimming Foundation’s annual grant program can visit https://www.usaswimmingfoundation.org for more information.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim through our Make a Splash initiative or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative
The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign, which aims to provide the opportunity for every child in America to learn to swim. Through Make a Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation partners with learn-to-swim providers and water safety advocates across the country to provide swimming lessons and educate children and their families on the importance of learning how to swim. The USA Swimming Foundation has invested millions of dollars to provide grants to qualified Local Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic partners to end drowning. To date, 7.5 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of more than 1,000 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash.
Worlds greatest SwimSwam personal, have a question regarding “smelling salts” in swimming. Was on reddit and realized that some German website mentioned the Russian World Cup team using “ammonia inhalants” for boosts, and we’ve all seen NFL/Eddie Hall types use them in competition. Is there a FINA rule mentioning their use at all? Other than in Pro Boxing it seems to all be legal, and would seem to certainly help out at least all the 50 races, perhaps the 100s, idk never tried them. Thanks in advance, if this isn’t appropriate to post my bad
FINA generally doesn’t make anti-doping policies, and certainly doesn’t regulate which drugs are and are not available – they rely on the World Anti-Doping Code for those policies.
FIFA competitions are governed by the same World Anti-Doping Code as FINA competitions are, so *generally* they follow the same rules. There are a few substances that are sport-specific, but as far as I know, “ammonia inhalants” or “smelling salts” are not one of those substances.
TLDR; “nope, they’re good to go in swimming.”
Here’s an English story on the subject if you’re curious: https://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/russian-team-used-smelling-salts-2018-world-cup-games/
Thanks, just read through the FINA doping rule book and remembered its all WADC, just very interesting as that’s a proven performance enhancer, with proven side effects if abused. Surprised no huge media source has gone wild on that subject regarding NFL/high profile ESPN sports with that and their “effect on the next generation”
Go home and get some rest Braden!