Mt. Hood Aquatics Gives Back to Community |
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Description
Please read the article below to see how Mt.
Hood Aquatics is making a difference in our
community.
News Release
For Immediate
Release
June 30, 2010
Media
Contact
Brandon Drawz
Manager, Aquatics & Recreation
Assistant Athletic Director
Brandon.Drawz@mhcc.edu
503-491-7244
MHCC Helps East County Kids Learn to
Swim
GRESHAM, Oregon – The facts are sobering:
children from non-swimming households are eight times more likely to be at-risk for drowning; in
ethnically-diverse communities, the youth drowning rate is 2-3
times higher than the national average. Motivated by newly released
information from USA Swimming, Mt. Hood
Aquatic Center has joined forces with the Mt. Hood Aquatics swim
team, East County Head Start, and the David Douglas and Reynolds
school districts to provide free swim lessons to hundreds of
children, and water safety education to
thousands.Efforts
are being supported by grant funding awarded by the USA Swimming
Foundation, Speedo, the National
Swimming Center Corporation, and the East Portland (Oregon)
Neighborhood Office.
“Research tells us that if a child doesn’t learn to
swim by the third grade, they likely never will,” said Chris LaBianco, Chief
Development officer for the USA Swimming Foundation.
“Swimming is more than a recreational skill, it’s a
skill that can save lives, and it is vitally important that we
provide this opportunity to kids from all socio-economic groups at
an early age.”
As a
local implementation of the USA Swimming Foundation’s
anti-drowning initiative, Make A Splash, children enrolled in Head
Start at the on-campus site of Mt. Hood Community College, and
elementary school children in the Reynolds School District who
qualify for the free or reduced lunch program will be eligible to
participate in swim lessons at no charge during the upcoming school
year. Additionally, water safety education days will be held this
coming fall at each of the elementary schools in the Reynolds
School District. Free lessons are already in progress for eligible
elementary students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program
in the David Douglas School District
“Mt. Hood Community College and Mt. Hood Aquatics are
extremely excited about being afforded the opportunity to be at the
forefront of drowning prevention for our community. Learning to
swim is not only an essential skill for children to learn, but can
also serve as a vehicle for lifetime fitness—we are honored
to be able to offer this opportunity to those children who might
never get a chance to learn to swim”, said Brandon Drawz,
Director of Aquatics and Recreation at Mt. Hood Community
College.
Out
of 222 local partners in 42 states, Mt. Hood Aquatic Center is one
of only two Make A Splash Local Partner in Oregon, and was recently
awarded one of twelve nationwide grants given by Make A Splash, in
recognition of the partnership’s innovative approach to
child-focused water safety. To learn more about Make A
Splash, or to sponsor a swim lesson for a child, contact Jody Rash
at (503) 491-7243, or visit www.makeasplash.org..
For more
information on the lesson programs at Mt. Hood Aquatic Center,
contact Donna Ryan at (503) 491-7246, or visit the aquatic center
website at www.mhcc.edu/aquatics.
Questions
regarding the Mt. Hood Aquatics swim team may be directed to Julie
Greenaway at (503) 667-4465 or visit: www.mthoodaquatics.org.
Program information and scheduling for the David Douglas Pool
are available by calling (503) 261-8378.
For
information on aquatic programs at the Reynolds Community Pool,
please call (503)
665-4494.
For more information
about the National Swimming Center Corporation please visit:
www.nationalswimming.org.
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Serving more
than 31,000 students each year, Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC)
provides students the education needed for the career of their
choice. MHCC offers more
than 70 associate degrees, certificate programs and transfer
options in a wide variety of disciplines. Students can also earn a
bachelor's degree through partnerships between area universities
and MHCC. Classes are
offered at several locations – the Bruning Center
for Allied Health Education in Gresham, the Gresham
Campus and the Maywood Park
Campus.
MHCC is accredited by
the Northwest Commission on Colleges and
Universities(NWCCU).
MHCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color,
national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status,
political affiliation or disability in its programs or activities.
For more information, media professionals may contact the Office of
College Advancement at 503-491-7204
or news@mhcc.edu.
