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In 2002, nearly 2,700 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospitals from drowning related incidents. The cost of drowning and near drowning is approximately $6.8 billion according to the
National SAFE KIDS campaign (NSKC) Drowning Fact Sheet, Washington DC, 2004. There were 358 drowning & submersion deaths in Florida reported by the Florida Vital Statistics Annual Report 2002
and 76 drowning deaths in the Central Florida area calculated by the Florida Department of Health, Data Analysis 2002.
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The Gift of Swimming is the solution to this tragic problem by teaching the vulnerable child to swim-float-swim. Children as young as six months old can be taught to roll onto
their back to float and breathe until help arrives. Children as young as ten to eleven months old can be taught to swim, roll to their back to breathe and rest, then flip back over to swim to safety.
The Gift of Swimming offers full scholarships to underprivileged children to learn these essential skills. In addition to acquiring valuable survival skills, these children gain self-esteem and
self-discipline which will change their lives forever. A certified PediaSwim Instructor can teach a child to save themselves in ten to twenty-five lessons, depending on many factors, including age,
previous experience, etc. Every child needs to learn to swim. Every child deserves to learn to swim. Every child deserves to live.
All expenses are paid by SouthWest Aquatics, 100% of funds received directly benefit the underprivileged children in our community.
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Aquatic Levels of Safety
- Adult supervision. Always watch children in and around water.
- Install a safety fence around pools and ponds.
- Keep a cell phone or cordless phone pool side for emergency use.
- Learn CPR.
- Enroll children in swimming lessons that teach survival skills.
If all other layers of protection are breached, only survival skills will save a child’s life.
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- The Gift of Swimming, Inc. is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation.
- The scholarships provide private, one on one swimming lessons.
- Swimming lessons save lives and build healthy minds and bodies.
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