Leadership from the YMCA of South Florida, the Related Group, TRG Management Company, and the Related Affordable Foundation recently partnered to host a “Back-to-School Pool Party / Water Safety Day” for residents of Cutler Riverside Apartments, one of multiple public housing properties owned by The Related Group.

Designed to help families stay safe in and around the water as drownings for young children remain high in South Florida, this Swim Safety Pool Party was one of three the YMCA of South Florida held at Related Group properties this year and part of a broader commitment between the two organizations to expand water safety access across the region. More than 100 residents attended the event at Cutler Riverside and, together, all three events reached a total of 242 residents (107 adults and 134 children).

In addition to enjoying music, water games, and food and treat trucks, families received water safety tips from trained YMCA professionals and had access to water safety and drowning prevention resources onsite, including structured swim assessment to evaluate a child’s swim ability, CPR demonstrations and life jacket fittings, received free Water Watcher tags and shopped at the pop-up with free swimsuits and swim gear for children in need, supported in part by the YMCA’s Mobile Aquatics Program.

“Water safety is critical at all ages, and there’s absolutely no reason why children shouldn’t learn how to swim at an early age to prevent more drownings,” said YMCA of South Florida President and CEO Sheryl A. Woods. “In order to encourage that first step, we are deploying the Y’s Mobile Aquatics Program at events like this one to bring water safety education and critical resources directly to local communities.”

This event and others at the YMCA support the broader mission of Miami-Dade County’s Zero Drownings Miami-Dade initiative, led by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, which seeks to make swimming lessons and water safety education accessible to every child, regardless of financial circumstances. With drowning the leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14 in the county, community partnerships serve an increasingly important role in expanding access to swim education and helping reduce the risk of drowning.

The YMCA will soon celebrate the grand opening of the Barbara & Philip Wong Aquatic Center at the South Dade YMCA Family Center, which will serve as a flagship for water safety initiatives and the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade partnership. This new facility’s state-of-the-art pool will expand the Y’s capacity to provide swim lessons, lifeguard training and family-focused water safety outreach throughout greater Miami.

The South Dade YMCA Family Center will partner with local schools and preschools, expand services to YMCA afterschool programs in Title I and low-income areas, and offer free drowning prevention education and swim lessons during Swim For Jenny Week in March.

For additional information on the YMCA of South Florida’s water safety resources, visit ymcasouthflorida.org/water-safety or contact the Y at (954) 334-9622.

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