YMCA of Long Island & Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities Announce Water Wise Water Safety Kids Art Contest
Partnership Focuses on Promoting Water Safety Awareness Ahead of Swim Season
The YMCA of Long Island announced today that it has partnered with Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities, Inc. to launch the inaugural Water Wise Water Safety Kids Art Contest to help make children more aware of the importance of water safety. Children age 12 and under are encouraged to use this unique opportunity to express their artistic interpretations of water safety and share their own tips for peers. Both organizations strive to educate and engage local communities about the importance of being a responsible swimmer, and this joint venture is the latest initiative aimed at keeping Long Islanders safe this summer.
“We are thrilled to partner with Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities to invite Long Island children to reflect on the serious importance of water safety while expressing their artistic abilities in fun ways,” said Anne Brigis, President and CEO of the YMCA of Long Island. “Participating in this art contest will help bring much-needed awareness to children and adults regarding water safety this summer. Promoting water safety is a top priority at the Y all year, and it goes beyond teaching swim techniques. Our aquatic directors at all of our branches teach skills to help swimmers of all levels develop a sense of comfort and security in and around the water.”
The contest is open to all Long Island children below the age of 12. Families can pick up an entry form any time before May 22 at the YMCA of LI or at the customer service desks of Stew Leonard’s stores in Farmingdale and in East Meadow. Entry forms could also be or download online athttps://ymcali.org/watersafetycontest.
A jury of representatives from the Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities & YMCA of LI will select one drawing that best represents how children can stay safe around the water. The winner will receive a $50 Gift Card to Stew Leonard’s Food Store and will be recognized at a special event at Stew Leonard’s in East Meadow on Thursday, May 24 at 11 a.m. Additional prizes will be available for the selected winner.
“May is Water Safety Awareness month and we use this time of year to remind parents that drowning is preventable. And yet, drowning is still the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children,” says Kim Leonard, co-founder of Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities. “Our family hopes that our foundation’s message will make this a safe and enjoyable summer for all.”
Long Islanders of all ages and fitness levels learn to live their healthiest and fullest lives inside the YMCA’s state-of-the-art facilities located in East Hampton, Glen Cove, Bay Shore, Holtsville, Huntington, and Patchogue, with the addition of prevention and treatment services through YMCA Family Services in Holtsville. The Y offers cultural arts programming for all ages at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts located in Bay Shore. The YMCA of Long Island is a cause-driven 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to strengthen communities through programs and services that focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. For information and locations, visitwww.ymcali.org.
About Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities
On January 1, 1989, a 21-month old toddler lost his life in a drowning accident. This sparked his parents to pledge that they would do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families, since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five. In 1990, that toddler’s parents, Kim and Stew Leonard, founded the Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities in memory of their son. Since this time, the Foundation has raised more than $2 million dollars to go towards water safety awareness and education, including providing swim scholarships and lifeguard training, along with writing and publishing two children’s books on water safety and a mobile game and free water safety app available on iTunes, Amazon Kindle HD and Google Play. For more information, please visitwww.stewietheduck.org.
