Sun Sentinel: Foundation backs swimming lessons for Broward kids

Washington, DC, May 14, 2012

By Nick Sortal, Staff Writer
May 14, 2012

The battle to prevent child drownings in Broward County has received a big boost from a local philanthropist– and continued attention from one of its better-known politicians.

The Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation announced Monday that it will be donating $500,000 toward swimming lessons in Broward County over the next three years, with preference toward children 9 and under who are on free- or reduced-priced school lunch programs.

The foundation, created in 1999 by the former owner of the Boston Celtics and thoroughbred owner who lived in Fort Lauderdale, has mostly supported medical research, but chose to support water-safety after the American Red Cross presented a menu of philanthropic opportunities, including swim lessons, foundation Vice President Gordon Latz said.

"After seeing the drowning problem in Broward County, the choice to support this leaped off the page," Latz said.
Florida leads the nation in child drownings, and Broward County leads Florida, averaging about a dozen deaths per year.

Wanting to draw attention to water-safety prompted a visit from U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, who spoke at the Driftwood Park Pool in Hollywood.

"Child drownings are absolutely something that doesn't have to happen," she said. "We still have so much to do in order to raise awareness."

Wasserman Schultz's interest in Broward County water safety goes back to 1997, when as a state representative she supported legislation for pool fences in new homes. In 1999, she was among the trio of legislators who helped create Swim Central, Broward's learn-to-swim initiative, a partnership between Broward County Schools and county government. She has also sponsored state and national legislation for pool fences, safety drain covers and emergency shut-off valves at pools.

The Red Cross said it would like to address minority swimming statistics, pointing to research that says 70 percent of African-American children don't know how to swim and 60 percent of Hispanic children don't.

The Red Cross program will give children up to three two-week sessions of lessons and includes a 30-minute safety program for the adults. The Mangurian Foundation's grant money should last three years, serving 1,000 children per year, said Latz, who is encouraging other organizations to donate so even more children can participate.

The program is called Big Splash 1-2-3 and Red Cross instructors are in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Broward County Family YMCAs, according to Linda Olson, Red Cross service delivery manager for South Florida.
For information, call 954-797-3816 or email BigSplash@RedCross.org