HOPE FLOATS HEROES SAVING LIVES ONE SCHOLARSHIP AT A TIME At six years old, Eli started swim lessons at Dolphin University, only attending once every three weeks resulting in a struggle to build his confidence and skill set. When Calvin Thomas, owner and instructor, asked Eli’s mom about his attendance she told him it was because she had to choose between paying for swim lessons and transportation. Eli became the first Hope Floats scholarship recipient for Dolphin University. Once his swim lessons were funded, his attendance increased tenfold and his confidence soared. Thomas says “he quickly moved to a level 3 and could swim. His mom told me she was just thankful that someone believed in her kid”. Today, Eli’s mom is proudly posting photos on social media of him swimming and has referred multiple families to Hope Floats for scholarships. Hope Floats has awarded scholarships to 1,488 children resulting in 17,856 swim lessons across 200 swim school partner locations! Swim lessons reduce the rate of drowning by 88% and unfortunately many families simply cannot afford lessons. Hope Floats meets this need by offering a simple, online scholarship application process in which eligible families are matched with a local swim school partner. These scholarships are made possible by our swim school partners’ commitment to fundraising. Founded by swim school owners seeking a simple, more sustainable way to provide scholarships, our swim school partners are equipped with a Hope Floats “Box of Impact” that includes low commitment, high ROI fundraising tools that engage local communities in drowning prevention efforts. Our partners choose which events and activities best work for their local communities. Dolphin University Swim School hosted a Water Safety Day in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland for not only their swim families but also for the public. The community event included raffle 28 | USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG
tickets for sale, concessions, water safety information, activities and more! They successfully partnered with PNC bank who sponsored $2,500 for the event. The event raised $3,250 for Hope Floats Scholarships in ONE DAY! Swimming Safari Swim School organized a raffle and scavenger hunt for their families to participate in. Raffle winners could choose between three prizes: baseball tickets, Alligator Farm tickets, or your own Swimming Safari Pool Party! British Swim School of Metro Charlotte is a brand new Hope Floats Foundation partner, but that didn’t stop them from raising funds immediately. They created an online fundraiser and offered raffle prizes for those who donated. They successfully raised over $1,000 in scholarship funds! Ocaquatics Swim School has raised funds to provide over 60 scholarships to deserving families in their area in the past two years alone! SwimKids of Northern Virginia hosted their annual Swim For Hope,
raising over $10,000 for Hope Floats Foundation scholarships! Swim for Hope is a national fundraising and swim safety awareness event in which swimmers raise funds by swimming lengths of the pool or performing safety skills for the length of a normal lesson or swim practice. Swim for Hope is tailored by each swim partner to match the skills to the curriculum and levels of your swim school. Join our community of more than 200 swim school partners and help save a child’s life. Your partnership makes a huge impact by giving the gift of swim lessons to underserved families like Eli’s. To learn more about becoming a swim school partner, visit www.hopefloats.foundation today! About Hope Floats Foundation: Hope Floats Foundation, founded in 2016, is a national nonprofit organization. Its mission is to prevent drownings by providing scholarships for swim lessons to disadvantaged children. Hope Floats partners with local communities to offer financial need-based scholarships in over 200 swim school locations in 32 states. Each year, thousands of swim lessons are provided by Hope Floats to empower disadvantaged children with the swimming skills to save their own lives. For more information about Hope Floats and how to make a lifesaving donation, please visit www.hopefloats.foundation.
