Local swim instructor's summer of free lessons
Local swim instructor's summer of free lessons
Amanda Girton, the owner of Sunshine Swimming and author of “Teach Your Child To Swim”, put her training to work to help children learn to swim for free.
According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. Drowning deaths increased in this age group by 28% from 2019 to 2022. By the beginning of July, there were 60 reported drownings in Florida so far for 2024. Unfortunately, Manatee County has not been immune to this statistic.
Amanda’s passion for swimming and desire to give back to her community led her to find a path to provide free lessons for children by connecting with several organizations. The project came to life by working in conjunction with The Ritch Foundation, Step Into Swim, Manatee County Government, and GT Bray Aquatic Center.
According to Step Into Swim (SIS), “The U.S. loses 11 school buses worth of children to fatal unintentional drowning each year. But did you know that just $50 can provide a child with lifesaving swim lessons and reduce their risk of drowning by 88%?” By procuring a grant from SIS, Amanda could provide lessons entirely for free to families.
A decision by the Board of County Commissioners to make county pools free for families during the summer was a big assist in getting the project up and running. Amanda scheduled the use of the aquatic center at GT Bray on Wednesday and Friday mornings to offer lessons.
Throughout the summer, Amanda taught approximately 100 children swimming basics. Another 30 parent and child groups went through her program building confidence for both parent and child in their water safety journey.
Step Into Swim accepts donations to fund its grants. Donations can be made to Step Into Swim at their website StepIntoSwim.org.
Amanda’s swim program is expected to continue and expand next summer with plans to bring in an additional instructor allowing them to reach double the number of swimmers.
To learn more or to be the first to know when registration opens for next summer, visit SunshineSwimming.com/freeswimlessons
To order a copy of Amanda Girton’s book click here: Teach Your Child To Swim
