Our Story
I have been swimming before I could walk, so when I was attending a fifth-grade graduation pool party, I did not need to think about safety or staying afloat. Swimming seemed to be second nature and I took my ability to swim for granted. Then, when all the other kids like me were splashing around in the pool, a father dove in to save one of my classmates from drowning. To my classmate, swimming was not second nature. However, he was unaware of that. According to the CDC, “For children ages 1–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes”. Among African-American children, drowning death rates are “2.6 times higher than white children (ages 5-9) and 7.6 times higher (ages 10-14)”. This is so prevalent because what you do not know can hurt you, or even kill you. So, only a few moments later the child got back into the pool to enjoy the fun with everyone else. He was unaware that everyone else had been taught to swim and he had not. As he waded deeper into the pool with the other kids, he began to drown again. For the second time, the same father dove into the pool to save the child. This all happened while his mother looked on also seeming to not understand the danger her son faced by not knowing how to swim. The incidents and the character of the father being alert and prepared to dive in and save a child inspired me. It made me aware of a greater problem in not only my town but the world.
Since that experience, I have become certified in CPR and a certified lifeguard. Furthermore, I have ventured down many roads in order to raise money So All Kids Can Swim. In my community there is a scholarship fund for underprivileged kids to learn how to swim for free. I began raising money by asking family and friends if they would like to support my cause. When that avenue was not very successful, I turned to the idea of starting a social enterprise. I learned of another way of raising money that supports a cause while also being sustainable as a business from the book Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS Shoes, which donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair bought. I started my business enterprise So All Kids Can Swim and began on my journey to find my version of the TOMS shoe. I sold water bottles at the local tennis courts, bags of cookies, made my own jewelry, and am now selling reusable grocery bags that not only raise awareness, support my cause, but also help save the environment.
My plan for 2022 is to raise a greater amount of scholarship funds for children through the reusable shopping bags. Most importantly, it will raise awareness on the elementary level on the importance of learning to swim. Then future fifth graders will not make it to a pool party without knowing how to swim.
The last piece of my project will be advocating for swim lessons for all children. With So All Kids Can Swim funding scholarships for lessons this cause will reduce and hopefully eliminate accidental drowning in my community and someday around the world, So All Kids Can Swim
More information can be found from the CDC: