Joan Goodman, Membership and Marketing Director for the Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA, presents swim lesson gift certificates to Kiwanis Club of Meriden members Cynthia D’Agostino, President, and Brian Cofrancesco, Community Projects Committee.
The Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA Donates Swim Lessons to Kiwanis StoryWalk® Program to Teach Water Safety
The Kiwanis Club of Meriden is presenting StoryWalk® at Hubbard Park, featuring Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim by Kim and Stew Leonard, Jr., with De. Lawrence E. Shapiro. StoryWalk® is an innovative way for families to enjoy reading and the outdoors by featuring enlarged pages of a children’s story along an outdoor path. This year’s story is featured in partnership with the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation and will be part of the Meriden Daffodil Festival this weekend.
Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim focuses on water safety. The ability to swim is a critical life skill for every child, teen and adult. The rise of accidental drownings in pools and lakes within the under 10 age group has increased dramatically over the past few years and drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five. Ashley Jordan, Aquatics Director at the Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA, knows how important water safety is. “The younger we can teach them, the safer they will be.”
The Y is the nation’s leading teacher of water safety and swimming skills. The Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA donated gift certificates for swim lessons to the Kiwanis Club of Meriden to use in a drawing for families who participate in the StoryWalk®.
As part of National Water Safety Month in May, the Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA encourages parents to take an active role in fostering a relationship between their children and swimming—beginning with water safety. The following are safety tips to practice when in and around the water:
- Only swim when and where there is a lifeguard on duty; never swim alone.
- Adults should constantly and actively watch their children.Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
- Parents or guardians of young children should be within an arm’s reach.
- Children and adults should not engage in breath holding activities.
The Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA helps youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, so they can be healthy, confident and secure in the water. There are a variety of programs to choose from group and private lessons for all ages, swim team, and aqua aerobics classes. To learn more about swim programs, please contact Ashley at 203.235.6386 or visit meridenymca.org.
About The YMCA
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change.