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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
GREATER MILFORD BOYS & GIRLS CLUB RECEIVES 2019 GRANT FUNDING FROM
USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION
Grant supports efforts to offer free or reduced- cost swim lessons
Milford, DE – Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club awarded one of 83 Make a Splash programs in the U.S. to receive grant money from the USA Swimming Foundation in early 2019. The awarded funds will go toward Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club’s continued efforts to provide free or reduced- cost swim lessons. The USA Swimming Foundation awarded a total of $502,461 to programs across the country that will provide swim lessons to an estimated 25,000 children.
“We are grateful to have our Club receive this funding from USA Swimming Foundation, this grant is much more than teaching kids to swim,” said Executive Director Tod Van Eyken. “Too many children in the state of Delaware cannot swim. Our commitment is to teach youth ages 3-18 to swim. Water safety is about having an educated respect for the water, including a knowledge of the many protections needed to keep our Club kids and the community safer when in and around water. Grants like this afford us the resources to continue our efforts in making learning to swim and water safety a priority,” Van Eyken later stated.
Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club’s swim program has been around for 10 years and serves 1,000 kids through swim lessons, swim teams, open swim and lap swim. “In addition to partnering with local schools, the swim program serves 350 Club and community kids with free or reduced cost swim lessons,” said Amanda Terray, Aquatics Director, for Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club. The Club is proud that any child that cannot comfortably pass the swim test enrolls in the grant funded swim program. “We started this program so that no family would have to struggle to enroll their child in swim lessons. Every child should be water safe” Terray went on to say
The USA Swimming Foundation vetted 241 applications through a competitive annual review process and chose 83 Make a Splash Local Partner programs to receive funding, 26 of whom are first-time USA Swimming Foundation grant recipients.
“It’s an incredible feeling to know that USA Swimming Foundation funding will be used to create a valuable swimming experience for tens of thousands of children who may not have had the opportunity to learn how to swim,” USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hesse said. “We are thrilled with the depth of this year’s Make a Splash Local Partner applicant pool and we couldn’t be prouder to support these exciting and lifesaving opportunities for children across the country. We owe a tremendous thank you to our partners and donors, who continue to make a difference.”
To date, 7.5 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of 1,000 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash.
For a full list of 2019 USA Swimming Foundation grant recipients, www.usaswimmingfoundation.org .
About the 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 qualify Make a Splash Local Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic partners to end drowning. To date, more than 7.5 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of 1,000 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash .