Preventing childhood drowning was the focus of last Thursday’s free swim and water safety camp for children ages 3-5. The camp was sponsored by Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez in partnership with the Kissimmee YMCA.
“We specifically targeted the pre-school age group for this program because, unfortunately, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for kids one to four years old, and Florida generally leads the nation in annual drownings,” said John Lewis, associate vice president of the Osceola County YMCA. “It’s very important with so much access to water to be able to make swimming lessons accessible for everybody.”
The free two-day camp saw about 50 kids to participate. Each child participant spends at least 30 minutes in the water with an instructor who teaches them basic water safety. Along with the child instruction CPR classes are also held inside the YMCA for parents. While this is the inaugural camp, Sheriff Lopez hopes that it will become a regular event…