Free Safety Around Water Program Offered in Allentown
River Crossing YMCA hosted donors, community partners and elected representatives at Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park pool yesterday to celebrate the launch of the Y’s free Safety Around Water program for Allentown residents.
Through partnerships with the City of Allentown Dept. of Parks and Recreation, the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown, and the generosity of donors Ken Termini, United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley, the CAI United Fund and Step Into Swim, River Crossing YMCA is providing free swim lessons and life-saving water safety education to Allentown residents, ages three and up, at Cedar Beach Pool, Irving Pool and the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown.
“Because of the generosity of Ken Termini and our beloved partners, we are able to provide the Safety Around Water program for free in Allentown,” said Trish Feinthel, chief operations officer of River Crossing YMCA, kicking off the celebration. “The Y evaluates and identifies the swim level for all participants, from children through adults, and our well-educated staff can teach them these valuable skills so they may enjoy the water for the rest of their lives.”
Currently, there are over 180 children enrolled in the Y’s free Safety Around Water program at City of Allentown pools and 60 at the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. The program began on June 23 and continues through the summer in two, four week sessions.
“I have been deeply inspired by the work of Rowdy Gaines and Step Into Swim™, the organization that provides swim lessons and water safety programs for children in underserved communities,” explained Ken Termini, a major donor to the free YMCA Safety Around Water program in Allentown. “Here in the Lehigh Valley we have many rivers, quarries and water features in our parks, and every year we hear about drownings. We want to make sure that kids understand how to stay safe around water, and I thought, what great partners Step Into Swim and River Crossing YMCA would be.”
Rowdy Gaines is a three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Olympic swim commentator and lead ambassador for Step Into Swim™, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance committed to swim education across the country. Termini said he and Gaines met last summer at a charity swim event in NJ. Upon talking at the event and maintaining contact thereafter, Termini was able to establish a connection between Step Into Swim™ and River Crossing YMCA.
According to YMCA of the USA, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children 1 to 4 years of age and is the second leading cause of death for children from 5 to 14 years of age. Many children in these age groups in Allentown lack access to life-saving swim lessons, which are critical to the wellbeing of the community's children.
“This is very important to me,” shared PA State Senator Nick Miller, D-14th District, who also spoke at the event. “I learned how to swim at the YMCA, and enjoyed many summers here at Cedar Beach Pool when I was growing up. In my office, as well as at the offices of Representatives Schweyer, Schlossberg and Siegal, we want to make sure that Lehigh Valley’s city pools are fun and safe for our families to enjoy. I thank the YMCA and all the partners who came together to make this program happen.”
The event was also attended by representatives of State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-134th District; Rep. Joshua Siegel, D-22nd District; and Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-16th District.
The first session of the free Safety Around Water program for Allentown residents runs through July 18, with the second beginning July 21 and running through Aug. 15. For more information about the program or to register, please visit our website.
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