The USA Swimming Foundation will bring the sixth annual USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 to Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA on May 30 – 31, 2014, respectively.
The national tour will feature appearances by the new USA Swimming Foundation’s Ambassadors:Olympic Gold Medalists Nathan Adrian, Janet Evans and Anthony Ervin; as well as appearances by Olympic Gold Medalists Rowdy Gaines, Jason Lezak, Jessica Hardy, and two-time Olympian Chloe Sutton. The Olympic athletes will participate in water safety events, information sessions and swimming lessons with children.
“We are proud to have our USA Swimming Foundation Ambassadors and Olympians participate in the Make A Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 throughout the weekend,” said USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hesse. “The Make A Splash Tour has been impactful with national media appearances and local community events to educate and engage families. We are thankful to Phillips 66 and USA Swimming Foundation donor’s commitment to helping us spread the life-saving message of learn-to-swim and water safety.”
The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign with a focus on teaching every child in America how to swim. USA Swimming Foundation and Phillips 66 want to educate parents, communities and civic leaders about the importance of learning to swim and being safer around the water. Information will be provided on resources available to area residents, including information on free and low-cost swimming lessons at local pool partners.
To date, more than 2 million kids have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation’s ‘Make a Splash’ Local Partner Network comprised of more than 600 qualified lesson providers across the nation.
- On May 30, 2014, USA Swimming Foundation will hold a water safety information session and photo and autograph signing with Olympic Gold Medalists Nathan Adrian, Rowdy Gaines, Anthony Ervin, and Janet Evans at Dr. Julian Nava Middle School in Los Angeles, CA.
- On May 31, 2014, USA Swimming Foundation will hold a community water safety festival with Olympic Gold Medalists Anthony Ervin, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Jessica Hardy, Rowdy Gaines and two-time Olympian Chloe Sutton at the Belmont Plaza Outdoor Pool and Beach in Long Beach, CA. The event will include games and activities for children and parents, story times, prizes and a meet and greet with the Olympic athletes. The event will also include the presentation of a proclamation from the Long Beach Mayor’s office naming May 31st “Water Safety Day.”
WHEN/WHERE:
Friday May 30, 2014
4:00 PM PST
Dr. Julian Nava Middle School
School of Arts and Culture / Business and Technology School
1420 East Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90011
Saturday, May 31, 2014
10:00 AM PST – 2:00 PM PST
Community Water Safety Festival
Belmont Plaza Outdoor and Beach
4320 Olympic Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90803
For more information about the USA Swimming Foundation and Make a Splash, visit:
www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash, Facebook.com/SwimFoundation, Twitter: @SwimFoundation
Sobering Drowning Statistics:
Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and at least one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. Only 13 percent of children who come from a non-swimming household will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis.
Seventy percent of African American children, 60 percent of Hispanic/Latino children and 40 percent of Caucasian children have little to no swimming abilities. African American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their Caucasian peers, the CDC reports.
Drowning is also a silent killer; most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study.
About USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Initiative
The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign, which aims to provide the opportunity for every child in America to learn to swim. Through Make a Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation partners with learn-to-swim providers and water safety advocates across the country to provide swimming lessons and educate children and their families on the importance of learning how to swim. The USA Swimming Foundation has invested millions of dollars to provide grants to qualified Local Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic partners to end drowning. To date, more than 2 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of more than 600 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash
About Phillips 66
Built on more than 130 years of experience, Phillips 66 is a growing energy manufacturing and logistics company with high-performing Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses. This integrated portfolio enables Phillips 66 to capture opportunities in a changing energy landscape. Headquartered in Houston, the company has 13,500 employees who are committed to operating excellence and safety. Phillips 66 had $50 billion of assets as of Dec. 31, 2013. For more information, visit www.phillips66.com or follow us on Twitter @Phillips66Co.
Swimming news is courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation.