Young Swimmers Go For World Record In NYC

Today, swimmers at St. Mary's Recreation Center in the Bronx participated in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record^TM for the World's Largest Swimming Lesson^TM. With support from the Stew Leonard III Children's Charities, a class of 30 young swimmers made a splash at a special swimming lesson that was simultaneously being taught at pools around the world. Mascots Pearl the Squirrel and Stewie the Duck were on deck to support the participants and further the message of water safety.

"Learning to swim at a young age can lead to a healthy and safe life," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "We are so proud of all of the swimmers who participated in today's swim lesson, and hope that they set an example for other kids in New York City and around the world to learn basic water safety skills. The first step to a fun and safe summer is to join a Swim to Safety class in your neighborhood."

More than 175 aquatic facilities, from Walt Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon near Orlando, Florida to swim schools in Orange Country, CA to community centers in the Bronx, to locations as far reaching as Zambia, Lebanon, Dubai, and the USAG Humphreys in South Korea today participated in the program to build awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning.

Swim to Safety, launched jointly by the New York City Parks Department and the New York City Department of Education, teaches 2nd and 3rd grade students the essential skills necessary to keep them safe from drowning. The program, based out of Parks' recreation centers, helps children develop a level of comfort in the water by showing them how to float, how to tread water, and introducing them to basic swim skills. Swim to Safety is offered in three, 10-week sessions throughout the school year. Parks serves more than 5,000 second- and third-grade students through this program annually, and provides each student with free annual memberships to Parks' recreation centers to encourage the youngsters to practice their skills.

On January 1, 1989, a 21-month old toddler lost his life in a drowning accident. This sparked his parents to pledge that they would do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families, since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five. In 1990, that toddler's parents, Kim and Stew Leonard, founded the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation in memory of their son. Since this time, the Foundation has raised more than $1 million to go towards water safety awareness and education, including providing swim scholarships and lifeguard training, along with writing and publishing two children's books on water safety: Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie the Duck.