ATLANTA — With so many families hitting the water to beat the Georgia heat, state officials are warning of a concerning uptick in drownings.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the drowning of a 3-year-old. The child died at Carter's Lake on Memorial Day. Just days later, a 17-year-old drowned on the Chattahoochee River.
Those tragedies have hit home for parents.
“I wasn't a strong swimmer, so I wanted my kids to be good swimmers," said Kenneth Rochester, who registered his 2, 5 and 8 year old children in swim lessons early.
“It was a no brainer. It's a parent's biggest fear, like you hear about, you know, pool accidents, and I just the thought of that, I just want to try to eliminate that," he said.
The Georgia DNR said they’ve tracked 21 drownings so far this year in state rivers and lakes.
In 2020, there were 63, a heartbreaking spike from the past decade’s average of 46 a year.
“It's heartbreaking because it's preventable," said Mandi Bell, a swim instructor of 33 years. "It's really tragic. And we feel like we need to do something about it.”
Bell, a mother of four herself, said that's why she's been advocating for swim lessons to be accessible and available for all.
“We help to subsidize or make lessons available for families who can't afford it just because it is so important," she said.
Other organizations like Make a Splash and The Bobby Dodd Foundation do the same.
“I think it's a big deal to have swim lessons available to everyone, to make sure our kids enjoy the water and can be safe in it," Rochester said.
Resources
To learn more about Bell's Swim Beyond Boundaries program, click here.
The Hope Floats Foundation is a national organization that offers swim lesson scholarships for qualifying families. Click here to learn more.
The YMCA has also partnered with the Red Cross to host the Camp Best Friends Summer Program. Enrolled children receive swim lessons at three Atlanta-area indoor pools: Adamsville Natatorium, Rosel Fann Natatorium and Washington Park Natatorium. Pediatric CPR and water safety training are also available to parents and caregivers of children enrolled in swim lessons at no cost. Contact City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation to learn more.
Additionally, the Red Cross Centennial Campaign teamed up with SwemKids and the Atlanta Swim School to offer scholarships for swim lesson registrants.
USA Swimming's Make a Splash foundation offers scholarships and donor-backed subsidies for families in need. Learn more here or by contacting USA Swim's Scott Usher at susher@usaswimming.org.