Articles Supporting Our Mission

“If you look at drowning deaths there are two huge spikes....One is 1 to 4 years old and the second is adolescents, especially boys, from 15 to 19. ....Drowning is the second-leading preventable cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds.” - New York Times, A Layered Approach to Preventing Drowning, July 22

“Swim lessons local can range from roughly $100 for several weeks of group classes to $50 or more for a single private lesson. For many people, that's out of reach...New York City, however, can turn this around for its own kids. If the city works with businesses and nonprofits, it can offer free swim lessons to every single New Yorker.” - New York Times, Swim Lessons for All, August 3rd

"Lake Michigan has had nearly as many drownings as all the other Great Lakes combined -- in total, there is a more than 50% increase over 2018" - CBS News, Rising death toll of drownings at the Great Lakes leaves 60 dead, August 12

"According to police, it was around 7 p.m. when the group of six young adults went swimming in the waters off Long Beach and soon had to be rescued by nearby good Samaritans...They were able to pull all six people out of the water, but sadly a 19-year-old from Queens was in cardiac arrest and later died, police said." - PIX 11, Teen drowns, 5 others rescued from strong currents in Long Beach as Tropical Storm Fay approaches, July 10

"Drowning is among the top causes of unintentional death for those under 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Young people, newly independent, often put themselves at great risk." - New York Times, How One Shoreline Took the Lives of 7 Young People, June 26

Near-drowning experiences are more common among young adults (ages 18-24). 

• More than 1 in 4 high school students have no ability to swim in NYC
• And younger Americans are also more likely than those in any other age group to report that they know someone who nearly drowned (36 percent).
• Only 56 percent of Americans can perform the 5 core swimming skills
• An average of 10 people die in the US each day from drowning 
• Red Cross Survey Finds 61 percent of Children, Including More than Half of All Teens, Can’t Perform Basic Swim Safety Skills
• Fear is listed as the top reason for not learning how to swim both as a child and as an adult.
• Adolescents (15-19 years old) have the 2nd highest fatal drowning rate out of any age group. 
• Teens are more likely to overestimate their skills and underestimate dangerous situations. This can cause many accidents to occur in the water that otherwise would not. 
• 79 percent of kids from low-income families are at risk of drowning
• Black youth ages 5 to 19 are 5.5 more times likely to drown in a swimming pool than their white peers
• 54 percent of children between 12 and 18 can do no more than splash around the shallow end of a pool