Goldfish Swim Hosts Special Party for Detroit School Kids

Goldfish Swim School in Farmington Hills partnered with Bridgepoint, a Detroit-area nonprofit, to bring 80 elementary school children from Detroit’s Academy of the Americas in for a Dec. 9 Christmas-themed swimming field trip.

The fourth graders at the dual-language Detroit public school received one-on-one experience with a swim instructor in the pool and valuable tips from Goldfish’s swim experts on being safe in and around bodies of water.

“Bridgepointe and the Academy of the Americas are so grateful for this swim instruction from Goldfish,” said Diane Powers, founder of Bridgepointe, which connects inner city schools with events, field trips, donation drives and tutoring. “We know that these children have very little access to pools where they can learn to swim, so this opportunity for one-on-one swim instruction can potentially save lives."

Powers added the experience with the school's "tropical vibe" and welcoming staff as they interact with their friends "creates such a memorable experience for them. It certainly is something they will never forget.”

Goldfish Swim Schools is providing four opportunities to experience the swim school and learn basic water safety and swimming skills. The children’s first visit took place in October, when they received a swim bag with a bathing suit and goggles.

“The key to success in swimming is consistent experience in the water,” said Katie Lee, co-owner of Goldfish Farmington. “Over the course of our several month timeframe with the kids from the Academy, we will make sure that they are all improving on skills and becoming better swimmers so they can be confident and safe in and around the water.”

Patricia Granados, whose son Angel participated in the Goldfish lesson, has never experienced any type of formal swim training for herself or her son. She believes that the lesson has already had an impact. 

“It was a really good experience because my son is very shy, and at first he did not want to go in the pool because he was scared,” she said. “But all the Goldfish swim teachers and staff were very supportive and after he went in, he really liked it. By the end of the day, he didn’t want to leave!"

The goal of the multiple visits is to monitor and evaluate the children’s progress in the water – an important component of learning to swim.

Source: Press release