The Miles River Yacht Club Foundation is registering Talbot County non-swimming children 15 and under for the second year of its signature five year “SOS: Sink or Swim” program. This year’s program, implemented through the St. Michaels Community Center and Critchlow Atkins Children’s Center, seeks to enroll 500 non-swimmers at no cost to their families and build on the 275 young non-swimmers taught to swim last summer.
According to Dr. Sherry Manning, MRYC Foundation Chairman, “over fifty people – many children – drowned in Maryland waters in the last three years, including many on the Eastern Shore. Learning to swim is not a luxury, but a necessity for safety when you live near the water. It also is a basic life skill that every Chesapeake Bay child should have as a prelude to being a boater, and an athletic accomplishment that enriches every child’s life.”
The Foundation’s “SOS: Sink or Swim” program is being funded by the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Kelly Distributors and several hundred contributions from individual supporters.
Swimming lessons will be conducted in three two-week daily morning and evening sessions at the Bay Hundred Community Pool in St. Michaels and Moton Pool in Easton from Monday, June 29 until Friday, August 14. A festive graduation party will be held for the new swimmers on Friday, August 14, with music, food, swimming and free SOS tee shirts for the graduates.
Non-swimming Talbot County children and their parents may register at [email protected] or by calling 410-745-6073
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.