Proceeds Support Drowning Prevention Instruction For YMCA Campers
Lewes, Delaware – On Sunday, July 25th the Sussex Family YMCA hosted their first Annual Tread/Swim-a-thon event in support of the Ys water safety efforts. For three hours of this swim event, participants swam laps and/or treaded water, raising more than $3,500 to provide non-swimmers, attending YMCA summer camp, with water acclimation and safety instruction twice per week.
The YMCA of Delaware is committed to saving lives and educating the community about safety around water. According to the Delaware Coalition for Injury Prevention, drowning is the 5th leading cause of accidental injury death in the United States. Approximately 10 unintended drowning deaths occur each day. That’s 3,650 drowning deaths every year, and 2 out of every 10 unintentional drownings involve children under the age of 14 years.
“Living in an area surrounded by water, it is so important that we are teaching our young people water safety skills,” said Aquatics Director Anna Seiffert. “The Sussex Family YMCA, its staff and volunteers are devoted to the safety of our community and work hard to provide life-saving skills to as many youth and adults as possible each year.”
Thanks to donor support, the Sussex Family YMCA provides more than 1,000 free swim sessions each year, designed to educate youth and families on water safety strategies in and around open water. Help support the Ys drowning prevention programs by making a donation today at www.ygive.org.