The Gift Of Swimming

The mission of the Gift of Swimming is to provide access to drowning prevention resources and education which includes swim training for the community’s underprivileged, mentally or physically challenged or otherwise disadvantaged.

It is our vision to create "Healthy Kids" by enriching the lives of those who would never be able to afford high-quality swim lessons through physical fitness and nutrition education. By offering swim lessons, we can help save their lives with survival skills. By teaching healthy eating, we promote lifestyle changes for children that are at high risk for obesity.

The goal of the Gift of Swimming scholarship program is to directly impact the children in distressed communities by making a positive difference in their lives and their family’s lives. Secondary goals are to produce healthier bodies, minds and spirits by improving their self confidence, self-esteem and pride. The community as a whole benefits when children learn team skills and good decision-making.

Description:
The Gift of Swimming collaborates with other nonprofits, community agencies and local governments to provide swimming scholarships to disadvantaged and special needs children. These partner agencies identify children who will benefit and then coordinate their participation in The Gift of Swimming scholarship program. Each child’s scholarship covers the cost of a comprehensive curriculum that includes water safety, swimming techniques, sports etiquette and physical fitness. Each child participates in approximately 25 individual sessions with a certified instructor.
Swimming survival skills are a necessity in Central Florida where water accidents, drowning and near-drowning are more likely due to the abundance of spas and swimming pools, lakes and ponds, rivers and streams and the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway.

In Central Florida, several clubs, organizations and instructors give swimming lessons. Unfortunately, these are generally group lessons that do not include physically and mentally disabled individuals and do not offer fully paid, individual scholarships for disadvantaged children. This is the need in the community that The Gift of Swimming is fulfilling directly teaching swimming to underprivileged and disadvantaged children.

Contact person: Kathy Baldwin, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (407) 905-5268

Address:

205 Windermere Road Winter Garden, FL 34787 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.giftofswimming.org

Directions:

408 (East/West) to Good Homes Road: Left to Old Winter Garden Road: Right to Maguire Road: Left To Tomyn Road: Right to Warrior Road: Right to Windermere Road - (SouthWest Aquatics)

Miscellaneous Information

Does this agency typically accept court-ordered assignments?
	No
Do you accept volunteers at night and on weekends?
	Yes
Do you accept groups of volunteers?
	Yes

Last updated on May 24, 2010