Swim Strong Foundation Honored

The USA Swimming Foundation honored the Swim Strong Foundation as one of three national Make a Splash Heroes, which honors organizations that provide water safety education. Each honoree will receive $5,000 from longtime USA Swimming partner Phillips 66 to continue their lifesaving work.

The East Elmhurst-based foundation has released a series of dry-side water safety programs titled “Know Before You Go!” The programs feature information on drowning statistics, foundational tips, hazardous conditions present in different bodies of water, boating safety, waterpark safety, and the dangers of extreme seasonal weather events involving water.

It teaches children from pre-K to 12th grade about essential water safety skills in a classroom or an online setting. Students understand the fundamentals of water safety without getting in a pool. The curriculum includes a pre-test, post-test, educational activities, and illustrative slideshows.

Older children will also delve into STEM-based assignments that explain the physics behind swimming skills. The teacher’s guide supplies educators with additional resources to allow a deeper dive into each topic.

Since 2006, Swim Strong Foundation has taught more than 10,000 people how to swim, given more than $1 million in free swim lessons and taught more than 7,500 people about water safety.

“The world is becoming much more watery, and we need a different relationship with the water,” said Swim Strong founder Shawn Slevin. “The understanding of water safety should be as instinctive to us as buckling up when we enter an automobile. Both can save our lives.”

To learn more about the water safety series, visit swimstrongfoundation.org.