SPLASH INTO SAFETY SWIM PROGRAM KICKS OFF JUNE 16

Member Submission • May 9, 2025

Providing drowning prevention and water safety for children in rural areas across Dorchester and Colleton Counties

Charleston, SC (May 5, 2025) – In 2023, seven organizations partnered together to launch the Splash into Safety

swim program across Colleton and Dorchester Counties. Since starting the program 2 years ago, more than 500

children have been taught drowning prevention and water safety in rural areas across the two counties.

We are excited to announce this year’s program will kick off on June 16th in Walterboro and July 7th in St. George.

Since launching the program in 2023, we have taught over 500 kids preventative drowning including safety around water, floating, boat safety and more.

The program is a collaboration across Dorchester and Colleton Counties between multiple agencies: Summerville Family YMCA, Summerville Medical Center, Colleton County Parks & Recreation, Dorchester County Parks & Recreation, and both school districts.

Parents and caregivers can register children ages 5 to 12 years old for the program, which includes daily lessons for 5 days at $5, only $1 per lesson.

The partnership united the Summerville Family YMCA, Colleton County Parks & Recreation, Dorchester County

Parks & Recreation, Summerville Medical Center, and Dorchester School District 4 with the critical mission to

teach children drowning prevention and increase water safety education in our communities. The Splash into

Safety program has received numerous awards and accolades, including:

• 2024 SC House of Representatives resolution

• 2024 Colleton County Council proclamation

• 2024 Dorchester County Council proclamation

• 2024 Town of Summerville proclamation

• 2023 SC Parks & Recreation Association Award for Programming Excellence

• 2023 Outstanding Safety Achievement Award from the South Carolina Association of Counties

• 2023 SC Healthcare Heroes Award for Community Engagement

• 2023 Carolinas Healthcare PR & Marketing Society Golden Tusk Award for Special Events

“At the Summerville Family YMCA, we believe a child’s safety in and around water should never be left to chance,”

commented Joe Debney, Summerville Family YMCA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Taking part in formal water safety

classes reduces the risk of drowning among children and provides both education and awareness. We are proud

to offer courses all year at the Summerville Family YMCA, from water safety to swim team skills.”

The CDC ranks South Carolina as the 9th highest rate in the U.S. for pediatric drownings. Every year in the U.S.

there are an estimated 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings and 8,000 nonfatal drownings. “This is a very serious

concern for our community and we are committed to provide families with water safety education to help prevent

future drownings,” said Adam Barouh, MD and Pediatric Emergency Department Medical Director at Summerville

Medical Center. “Some of the factors include not being able to swim, but also missing or broken fences around

water, lack of lifejackets, lack of close supervision, and even prior health problems.”

The Splash into Safety program transports a 24 foot long and 3 feet deep portable pool holding 7,000+ gallons of water to the event locations for the duration of the program. Certified swim instructors from the Summerville Family YMCA teach water safety and drowning prevention techniques. Certified life guards monitor the pool at all

times.

“The Splash into Safety program has taken a combined effort from multiple agencies between Colleton and Dorchester County in order to be able to provide water safety instruction to the youth of both counties,” said Dr. Chris Myers with Colleton County Parks & Recreation. ”Without the cooperation of all involved, this program would not have had the success it had in 2023 or be feasible moving forward. The hope of the program in 2025 remains the same, that through quality water safety instruction we are taking a small step in the right direction to better prepare our youth for the dangers that are associated with water and water activities.”

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