Help a Child Learn to Swim to Save Their Own Life

With only six months and eight days until Memorial Day, when NYC beaches reopen, we’re on a mission to prepare New York’s underserved communities for a safer beach season. In addition to our preparing for our programs at The Rockaway Hotel, Ocean Park and NYCHA Swim Corps, we are launching an urgent initiative to address the record-tying and rising drowning crisis with our “Water Wise” Public Safety Education (PSE) campaign. This campaign will educate our most underserved and at-risk communities on the dangers of rip currents and provide life-saving water safety knowledge to prevent future tragedies.

The drowning statistics in NYC are harrowing: 90% of incidents occur when lifeguards are off-duty, and 85% are due to rip currents. Through our campaign, we aim to reach millions of New Yorkers via strategic placements on community screens, buses, subways, NYC ferries, and digital platforms within the most underserved communities of NYC.

Our goal is clear: to ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of background, has access to critical water safety knowledge that could save their life or the life of a loved one. Beginning on Memorial Day Weekend 2025, the campaign will be fully launched, bringing life-saving awareness directly into the neighborhoods that need it most.

With summer just around the corner, we are focused on finalizing our materials, securing ad placements, and amplifying the campaign through our network of partners, elected officials, and community leaders. This is more than a campaign; it’s a call to action.

Please consider making a difference by helping us reach our goal. If you have resources like ad space in visible spots within underserved or coastal neighborhoods—or other assets that could support our efforts—we would be grateful for your collaboration.

Together, we can provide essential water safety education to communities in need and prevent more families from experiencing the heartbreak of losing a loved one to a preventable drowning.

Links:

• Rising Tide Effect Media

We are thrilled to be fully underway with our biggest summer program to date.

We have also successfully completed another City of Water Day, sharing water safety education with the public at Canarsie Pier and on the Boardwalk at Beach 96th.

At The Rockaway Hotel we are hosting Parent & Me lessons for residents of a domestic violence shelter and will welcome a new group of children from the same shelter in August.

In Far Rockaway, Ocean Park, we've seen a significant increase in participants compared to last year. Our recent water safety event featuring a mermaid at the pool was a big success, and there's growing demand for adult lessons at this location.

The NYCHA Swim Corps has just wrapped up its second week, with four more to go. We’re excited to report a record-high number of 70 participants from across New York City. These weeks have been filled with swimming lessons, basic lifeguarding training, professional development, and leadership training.

Our mission is to empower everyone we reach to stay safe in and around water. The recent drownings of youths who are the same age as those in our programs remind us that we need to rethink our approach to the NYC drowning crisis. Rather than attempting to control the ocean by closing it at a certain hour, we must make practical adaptations and do everything we can to prevent harm.  

We have been busy speaking at various press conferences and sending certified letters to the administration to advocate for extended beach hours, especially during heat waves, and for more signage on the beach. If people could see how to spot a rip current, many drownings could be avoided. While swimming skills are crucial, the most important aspect is situational awareness around water and our overall water competency. Just 15 minutes of water safety education on land can make all the difference.

Links:

• Recent press
• More press