PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — As we get closer to summer, two recent child drownings in Chesapeake remind all of us that water safety should be top of mind.
As it gets warmer, you and your family may be spending a lot more time splashing in the water, but with that comes accidents. That’s why there are several organizations providing the swim lessons you need.
“May is Water Safety Month, which leads us into our summer months,” said Vicki Coleman, director of aquatic quality and standards for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, “so having that on the front burner is just super important, especially here in South Hampton Roads with water being in everyone’s neighborhood.”
Accidents and drownings can often hit close to home. In Chesapeake, two children drowned just months apart, one in a lake, the other a family pool. Both were just three years old.
“Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children four and under,” Pool Scouts owner Gordy Johnson said.
Gordy Johnson owns Pool Scouts, a pool cleaning service. He uses a portion of his sales to support a bigger cause.
“Hope Floats is an organization/foundation that partners with high quality swim schools to provide scholarships to children who come from a lower socio-economic community,” Johnson said.
Together, they have raised more than $80,000 to provide lessons to children in our area. Couple those lessons with others available around the seven cities, and there’s something for everyone.
“We’re teaching the parents how to teach their child and how to keep them safe,” Coleman said, “so those early ages, we’re working on more prevention strategy, so when they fall into the water, they learn to swim back to the side and how to prevent it.”
“Our lessons we do one-on-one with the instructors, so we get to cater to wherever the swimmer is,” said East Coast Aquatic Center CEO Art Anthony.
Places like the YMCA of South Hampton Roads and East Coast Aquatic both offer low-cost swimming lessons.
“A lot of memories are made by the pool everyday,” Coleman said. “We have memories being made right now behind me and we want to make sure they are happy ones.”
For more information on the lessons covered by the Hope Floats Foundation, click here. For more information on the swim lessons offered at various YMCA of South Hampton Roads locations, click here. For more information on swim lessons offered by East Coast Aquatic Center, click here.