From left: Christmas in St. Michaels Treasurer Linda Seemans with SOS Sink or Swim Council President Libby Moose accepting a check from Christmas in St. Michaels in support of the children and adults served by SOS’s free, two-week swimming lessons offered at Talbot County’s community pools. To support a swimmer or to learn more, go to sossinkorswim.org.
(ST MICHAELS, MD – March 28, 2019) SOS Sink or Swim recently received a grant from Christmas in St. Michaels in support of the children and adults served by SOS’s funding of free, swimming lessons offered in Talbot County.
Through charitable donations to SOS Sink or Swim and partner support, more than 3,800 area children have received free swimming lessons in Talbot County since SOS began in 2014. According to a Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine report, formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%. Additionally, a 2017 USA Swimming Foundation study reports 79% of children in households with incomes less than $50,000 have little-to-no swimming ability.
“With Christmas in St. Michaels’ support of SOS, we can now impact more lives in Talbot County with more opportunities to engage in free swimming lessons,” commented SOS Sink or Swim Council President Libby Moose. “We are grateful for their support of the children and adults we serve, who will now feel safer in and around the water.”
Christmas in St. Michaels’ mission is to provide resources to help local non-profit groups enhance the quality of life for the residents of the Bay Hundred community. In accordance with needs-based criterion, grant recipients are selected by an all-volunteer board of directors, with past participants including Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers, Bay Hundred Community Pool, St. Michaels Community Center, St. Michaels Fire Department, St. Michaels Museum at St. Mary’s Square, and Union United Methodist Church, among others. More information is at christmasinstmichaels.org.
SOS Sink or Swim is dedicated to ensuring every child on the Eastern Shore has the ability to swim and knows how to be safe in the water, with a new five-year plan to grow its commitment beyond Talbot County and to service adults. The program is docked at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, with CBMM serving as its fiscal sponsor, and administered by the Talbot County Department of Parks & Recreation. To learn more, or to donate to SOS, visit .sossinkorswim.org, or send your contribution to SOS Sink or Swim, 606A N. Talbot Street, Ste 109, St. Michaels, MD 21663.
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