|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Homestead-South Dade (HomesteadKiwanis.org), one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, 130 youngsters from Touching Miami with Love (TouchingMiamiWithLove.org) are receiving free swimming lessons this summer at Roby George Park in Homestead.
“With the frequency of childhood drowning deaths increasing — particularly among minority children — we thought it was vital to support Touching Miami with Love’s efforts to provide swimming lessons for these children,” said Homestead Kiwanis president Emily Guzman.
“This is especially important here in South Florida, with an abundance of ‘tempting’ water opportunities.”
The underwriting of the program — for children 5-12 years old — began with a presentation by Touching Miami with Love’s executives to the Kiwanis club at its weekly Tuesday lunch meeting at Portofino Coal Fired Pizza, 650 NE 22 Terr. In Homestead.
Members of the club visited Touching Miami with Love, which was founded in 1995, to learn more about the organization which provides year-around after school, spring break and summer camp programs for the Overtown and West Homestead communities.
“Like many non-profits, our budget is always stretched, nearly to the breaking point,” said Touching Miami with Love CEO Trina Harris. “Adding an important program like the swimming lessons was going to be very difficult, but the Homestead Kiwanis made this possible. Because of this organization, there will be less childhood drowning deaths in our community.”
The Homestead club’s support of water safety and swim lessons is in accordance with the Florida District of Kiwanis’ “Every Child a Swimmer” initiative. This August, Homestead Kiwanians are joining Homestead Councilmember and Kiwanis Florida District Lt. Gov. Erica Ávila in attending the Florida District Convention to highlight its numerous South Dade programs and gather new information on potential service projects to benefit the community.
For Kiwanis Club of Homestead-South Dade membership information, or to participate in one of its upcoming community service projects, visit HomesteadKiwanis.org or contact Guzman at 786-399-4161.
