Tasha Blackwell knew water safety had to be a priority for her family. When she learned about the YMCA’s Water Wise program, she immediately enrolled her three sons—Jacob (11), Mason (9), and Noah (6).

“Water Wise gave my kids the skills and confidence to be safe in the water. Now they can swim, tread water, and truly enjoy the pool. As a mom, that peace of mind is priceless.”

Jacob agrees: “At first, I didn’t even want to swim. But now, swimming is awesome—I get to jump in, hang out with friends, and have fun while exercising.”

Water Wise, a grant-funded program, provides free swim instruction for kids ages 3–17. Each year, more than 1,000 children at the Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA gain life-saving skills thanks to community donations.

Tasha is grateful to be among those recipients:

“We have been receiving some of their donations, and I want to thank [the donors] so much. I think it’s really important because with all of the demands of society, housing prices going up, food prices going up, if we don’t have that access to that financial assistance, then some people will not even be able to have the opportunity to join the Y at all. I can bring my toddler or even my infant, all the way up to my 11-year-old, to the YMCA, and they have something to do. I knew how important being in the YMCA with children is, and was for me. I wanted to make sure that my children have the same experience.”

To learn more about Water Wise and other aquatics programs at the YMCA of Delaware, head to our swim page.