The Coastal South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross has partnered with Georgetown Hospital System’s HealthPoint Center for Health and Fitness to provide a four-evening basic water safety program free to residents of Georgetown County.
The first meeting invited a packed room full of children and adults. Members of the American Red Cross demonstrated various water safety techniques including a 'Whales Tales' video and non-swimming rescues. Demostrations also included introduction to water skills and general safety with life jackets and other safety skills. The in water portion of the program will be conducted Tuesday April 14th in the heated indoor pool at HealthPoint.
Red Cross officials say the need for such a program was emphasized recently after a boating accident Feb. 18 that claimed the lives of three residents of Sandy Island, which is only accessible by boat. The partners hope to offer the program on an annual basis to promote water safety and swim lessons.
"What we really want to do is to teach people to save themselves or others in an emergency as well as try to set up a generation after generation of people that are able to swim and would want to teach their children to swim,"said Rocco Salinari, Director of Health & Safety with the American Redcorss.
News 13 also caught up with mom of two Christina McCray, who said that comign out to Tuesday night's meeting was expecially important to her because she doesn't know how to swim and neither do her children.
"I honestly believe that it is something good to learn and always know how to do it because you never know when you may need to use your swimming lessons,""said McCray.
Georgetown County-area Rotary Clubs are providing necessary funding for the program’s educational supplies.
The program will be held 6-8 p.m. Tuesday evenings until April 28th at HealthPoint, 12965 Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island.
With area Rotary Clubs providing sponsorship for the educational materials needed for the class, each participant received an age appropriate Red Cross booklet to take home to review and share with family. Additional funding is being sought for scholarships for swim lessons.
Registration is required by calling the Red Cross office at 477-0020 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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