Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills Awarded National Grant

Owings Mills, MD – Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills, a leading premier learn-to-swim concept, has been awarded $4,940 by the USA Swimming Foundation to go toward swim lesson programs providing children with the opportunity to learn to swim. In total, the USA Swimming Foundation awarded $507,461 to learn-to-swim programs across the country through its first-round of 2019 grant funding for Make a Splash local partners.

The foundation vetted more than 240 applications through a competitive review process and chose 83 programs to receive funding, 26 of whom are first-time recipients. Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills plans to use its grant to provide 26 two-month swimming scholarships to local children in the northwest Baltimore area.

“Our mission at Goldfish Swim School is to ensure all kids feel safe in and around the water, and this grant allows us the opportunity to continue our efforts by providing free or reduced-cost swim lessons to children in our community,” explains Zachary Healy, General Manager of Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills. “Accidental drowning continues to be the leading cause of death for children under the age of five, and we feel so honored to be recognized for the care, hard work and love that we put into our swim lessons,” Healy adds.

The swim school currently has ongoing relationships with the Maryland Department of Health’s Low Intensity Support Services and the Kennedy Krieger Institute to assist families with funding for children who have special needs and disabilities, as well as children who are Spanish speakers. In the last two and a half years, Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills has already connected over 50 families with more than $60,000 in grants and scholarship money.

“Up until now, we had yet to form a partnership with an organization that can provide such tremendous scholarships. We want to make sure all families in Baltimore have access to quality swim lessons, and the USA Swimming Foundation will allow us to strengthen those ties within our community,” said Healy.

With plans to provide 26 swimming scholarships, the swim school is partnering with neighboring elementary schools to award one child from each grade, Kindergarten through third grade (four scholarships per school), with two schools receiving one additional scholarship to allow the inclusion of fourth graders. The elementary schools are all within a 10-mile radius from Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills.

The USA Swimming Foundation joined by its network of 1,000 swim lesson providers across the country are helping to spread national awareness on the importance of learning to swim and bringing together strategic partners to end drowning. More than 7.5 million children have now been served by this initiative since 2007.

“Our goal is to leave students in a better position than when they started two months prior. Whether the student and their family decide to continue lessons with us or not, what makes us proud here at Goldfish – Owings Mills is knowing that we started that journey for another non-swimmer and their family,” adds Healy.

For more information on Goldfish Swim School – Owings Mills and water safety, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/owings-mills/.

About Goldfish Swim School

Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. Goldfish currently teaches more than 100,000 students per week to swim and be safer in and around the water. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. They are currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with 86 schools open, and an additional 100+ in development in more than 26 states and Canada.

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Media Contact: Gianna D’Argento, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300, GDArgento@fishmanpr.com