TAMPA, Fla. \- The City of Tampa is proud to participate in the 15th annual World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) on Thursday, June 20, 2024. This global event aims to raise awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim and prevent drowning, a leading cause of accidental death among children.
Four city pools will host free swim lessons as part of this worldwide initiative:
- Copeland Pool
- Loretta Ingraham Pool
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pool
- Cyrus Greene Pool
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This year, the Tampa WLSL program is receiving additional support from Smile Like Aubrey, a non-profit organization dedicated to drowning prevention awareness and self-rescue swim skills. Their involvement highlights the community's commitment to water safety education.
The WLSL event serves as a platform to educate the public about the importance of swim lessons in reducing the risk of drowning. By offering free lessons and resources, the City of Tampa and Smile Like Aubrey are working together to create a safer environment for children in and around water.
"In 2020, during the early days of lockdown when everyone was still adjusting to working from home, our family experienced the worst tragedy anyone can: the loss of our beautiful 16-month-old daughter, Aubrey," said Smile Like Aubrey co-founder Matt Strojnowski. "We want to educate people, but we also want Smile Like Aubrey to be a celebration of her life. We want to do our best to prevent this tragedy from happening to another family."
Read: With 46 Florida Child Drownings In 2024, State Urges Swimming Safety
From 2013-22, there were 235 unintentional drowning deaths in Hillsborough County. In that same 10-year span, there were 4,244 unintentional downing deaths statewide (data from www.flhealthcharts.gov).
The World's Largest Swimming Lesson is taking place at four City of Tampa pools:
- Copeland Pool, 11001 N 15th St. (media will be present)
- Loretta Ingraham Pool, 1611 N Hubert Ave.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pool, 2200 N Oregon Ave.
- Cyrus Greene Pool, 2101 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows risk of drowning can be reduced by 88% if children participate in formal swimming lessons between the ages of 1-4.
But a survey conducted by the American Red Cross in 2020 found that 56% of Americans either can't swim or don't have the necessary basic swimming skills.
About the World's Largest Swimming Lesson
The WLSL was launched in 2010 by the World Waterpark Association and has since become a global phenomenon. This annual event takes place at hundreds of locations worldwide, with thousands of participants learning essential water safety skills.
About Smile Like Aubrey
Smile Like Aubrey is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the memory of Aubrey Joy Grande, a young girl who tragically drowned in 2007. The organization focuses on raising awareness about drowning prevention and promoting self-rescue swim skills for children.
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