Darius

In 2008, researchers at the University of Memphis conducted a study commissioned to determine what common variables influenced non-swimming minority youth within US cities. They found that kids in lower income families have significantly lower swimming ability and greater fears of drowning. The majority of non-swimmers also come from households where the parent(s) cannot swim and therefore can't teach their kids to swim themselves. In 2006, two Downtown Elementary School students lost their lives, because they couldn't swim and didn't know basic water safety skills. The YMCA now has a variety of programs to teach every child in our community to swim and to prevent childhood drowning in the future, regardless of family income. Kids like Darius, who learned to swim at the Y, aren't just more comfortable around the water. They're safer. And when Darius grows up, because he can swim, his children will be more likely to swim and be safer, too. This is just one of the areas where your donation can literally save young lives in Memphis and the Mid-South area.