Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine May 2018 | Page 7

Statesville Family YMCA: Keeping
Every Child Safe Around Water
By Blake Blakley, Vice President of Operations,
including the Statesville and Barium Springs Family YMCAs
The statistics are shocking.
Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning
rates.
For ki ds under age 12, drowning is the second
leading cause of accidental death.
Two children die every day because of drowning.
Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with
standing water. Every child deserves to know how to
be safe around water. As America’s swim instructor,
and one of the most accessible community
resources to prevent drowning, YMCAs across the
country have committed to helping children learn
the invaluable skill of swimming and water safety
through a variety of programs.
Safety Around Water is a grant-funded program that
helps children learn how to perform a sequenced
set of skills over eight lessons of 40 minutes each.
During that time the risk of drowning is reduced and
children are given confidence in and around water.
A typical session includes exercises to help kids
adjust to being in water; instruction in “Jump, Push,
Turn, Grab” and “Swim, Float, Swim,” two skill sets
kids can use if they unexpectedly find themselves
in the water; and specific safety topics, like what to
do if you see someone in the water who needs help.
Participants also have fun in the process!
In 2017, the Statesville Family YMCA served
children and families in our community with the
Safety Around the Water program. Many of those ​​​
children were from the YMCA Summer Learning
Academy. Local children learning life-saving skills
that will serve them far beyond the program. ​
Swim lessons are the next step in helping children
not only stay safe, but also develop a lifelong love
of the water. Across the YMCA of Northwest North
Carolina association, which includes the Statesville
and Barium Springs YMCAs, 3,370 individuals were
served through swim lessons in 2017.
Visit statesvilleymca.org to learn more or register
for swim lessons.
Iredell Memorial Hospital has been
a strong community partner for many
years. Their most recent help came in
the form of supply kits for our nurses
for every site in our District. Iredell
Memorial sought out the donation of
big, sturdy tool boxes from Lowe’s and
Girls on the Run
loaded them full with every imaginable
supply school nurses need. While we don’t have the same number of nurses as we
do sites, Iredell Memorial made sure every single site was covered, so our nurses
do not have to worry about making sure they have their “tool kits” with them.
Our school nurses have to be prepared for just about anything. When Iredell
Memorial has your back, it makes their job just a bit easier.
Iredell-Statesville School & Family 5