YMCA swim program all about community

Sussex Family YMCA has just finished up its seventh annual Water Safety Week, a special event that provides free water safety instruction and free swimming lessons to all children who sign up.

The program targets children ages 3 to 13 years old, helping them learn to be safe in the water, whether it’s the ocean, bay or local pools.

For a full week, during Cape Henlopen School District’s spring break, children who are signed up for the program spend a half-hour a day getting used to the water and practicing basic swimming skills that enable them to be safe along the ocean’s edge or at the pool.

This year, 394 children participated in the Y’s program, learning enough about the water to stay safe; many also learned how to help others who might get in trouble. Numerous volunteers waiting with outstretched arms encouraged even the youngest children to conquer their fears and leap into the water – and once there, to get themselves safely to the side of the pool.

This outstanding program gives many children who might otherwise fear the water a chance to feel the excitement and joy of learning to swim. Through Water Safety Week, Sussex Family YMCA ensures area children have a chance to acquire enough skills to enjoy the ocean, one of our region’s greatest assets, yet one too many area children have few chances to enjoy.

The free program also encourages a healthy, active lifestyle – and not only for the children. It also gives the many adults who volunteer a chance to put their aquatic skills to use, sharing their love of the water with a new generation.

The Sussex Family YMCA program – children learning to love the water from adults who have energy and enthusiasm to share - not only promotes water safety; it also strengthens the ties that bind our community together.