USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CULLEN JONES TO VISIT SHREVEPORT, LA ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
