By Greg Archer | Contributing Columnist
Childhood drowning is among the leading causes of death for children under the age of five, which makes the efforts of one local nonprofit incredibly vital.
“Our main goal is to keep preventing childhood drowning,” said Tenaya Goldsmith, founder/CEO and president of Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation. “There are a lot of children who don’t have access to swim lessons, get turned away from swim lessons, and children with disabilities who are also in those groups — students in wheelchairs who don’t have the same access as other children.”
“I just firmly believe that no matter what the child’s circumstances, learning how to swim and learning how to save your life from drowning is a life skill that everyone should have,” she said.
Founded in 2015, first as Big Kahuna Swim Academy, the organization has morphed into a vigorous nonprofit eager to thwart childhood drowning through stellar community outreach and education, and water safety and swim lesson scholarships.
One of its signature beliefs is that every child should be water-safe.
Tenaya Goldsmith is the founder/CEO and president of the Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation, originally known as Big Kahuna Swim Academy. (Courtesy of Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation)
“It’s amazing to be able to help a community that normally doesn’t get that these kinds of opportunities,” Goldsmith said.
Recently, the Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation received a James Bernard and Mildred Jordan Tucker Fund grant via the Inland Empire Community Foundation. The grant was designated for the nonprofit’s Swim Lesson Scholarship Program.
While many things stand out about the organization, Goldsmith points out several initiatives drawing positive feedback. One of them is the Drowning Prevention Heroes program, a monthly initiative that launches Dec. 6.
“It’s an opportunity for our community and anyone who wants to to get involved with the organization and donate on a monthly basis,” Goldsmith said. “The program will fund our scholarships that will be given to children from low-income families.”
Low-income families, she said, are one of the group’s within the community the organization strives to serve.
“Those children, through no fault of their own, can’t go learn how to swim because their families can’t afford it,” Goldsmith said. “All somebody has to do is donate $5 a month and that’s like a Starbucks drink, right? Not even — Starbucks is like $8 now. So, for $5 a month, people can help save kids’ lives right?
“That’s the equivalent to five minutes in the water every single month that they’d be giving the child to learn how to swim,” she said. “For every dollar someone donates every single month, that’s one minute in the water that they’re giving the child to learn how to swim. This is going to be a great program.”
Goldsmith’s passion for the work clearly shines through. After launching Big Kahuna Swim Academy as its sole proprietor seven years ago, by 2020, she saw a great need to create a nonprofit and reach more people. Preventing drowning incidents and promoting safe swimming practices became key initiatives.
In addition to its swim lesson and scholarship programs, the Norco-based organization’s volunteer program is extensive, ranging from event, administration, special projects, and marketing volunteers to viable swim instructors.
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With the nonprofit’s visibility and popularity on the rise, Goldsmith notes that prior to receiving the Inland Empire Community Foundation grant, there had been longer waiting lists for families who desired swim lessons scholarships.
“The grant helped us tremendously,” she said. “And like I said, the skills we teach are life-or-death skills. Something can happen in a second. A lot of people don’t stop to think about how fast drowning can happen.”
Learn more about Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation at childhooddrowningpreventionfoundation.org.
The Inland Empire Community Foundation works to strengthen Inland Southern California through philanthropy. Visit iegives.org.
