Swim program saves lives

The recent Coeur d’Alene Press article highlighting the rise in drownings across Kootenai and Spokane counties was heartbreaking to read. In a region surrounded by lakes and rivers, water safety is not optional. It is an essential life skill. That is exactly why The Salvation Army Kroc Center’s 3rd Grade Swim program matters.

Now in its 14th year, 3rd Grade Swim provides free, critical water safety and basic swim instruction to nearly 1,900 third graders every year. The program serves children from public schools throughout Kootenai County, as well as charter schools, private schools and homeschool families, helping ensure that as many local children as possible have access to foundational skills that could one day save their lives.

For many children, this is their first opportunity to receive formal swim instruction. During the program, students learn basic swimming skills, water safety principles and how to feel more comfortable and confident in the water. In a community where children grow up surrounded by lakes, rivers, pools and boating opportunities, that education can make an enormous difference.

What makes this program especially remarkable is that it depends entirely on donors. It is offered at no cost to participating students because generous individuals, businesses and community partners believe in the importance of making water safety education accessible to every child, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

We are especially proud and grateful for Avista's leadership, which helped establish a long-term vision for the sustainability of 3rd Grade Swim. Several years ago, the Avista Foundation provided a generous $30,000 gift to seed an endowment dedicated to this program. That initial investment inspired additional generosity, and today the endowment has grown to more than $175,000.

The power of an endowment is that the principal remains invested while a portion of the earnings can be used year after year to support the program. Rather than relying solely on annual fundraising, an endowment creates a lasting source of support that can help ensure 3rd Grade Swim continues serving future generations of children.

Our long-term goal is to grow the 3rd Grade Swim endowment to $1 million. At that level, we anticipate the annual earnings could provide enough funding to sustain the program each year, helping protect its future and ensuring that thousands more children receive these essential water safety skills.

Every drowning is a tragedy, and prevention requires all families, schools, public safety agencies, community organizations, and donors working together. We are deeply grateful to Avista and every donor who has invested in 3rd Grade Swim, because their generosity is not simply funding a program. It is helping equip children with knowledge, confidence, and skills that may one day save a life.

For those who would like to help ensure 3rd Grade Swim continues for generations to come, donations to the program’s endowment can be made through Innovia Foundation at: goinnovia.org/3rdGradeSwimEndowment

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Amy Voeller is the development director at the Coeur d’Alene Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.