Memphis Wins Make a Splash for Water Safety Contest
Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones will visit Memphis, Tenn. this fall after the Memphis Swim Team / Make a Splash Mid-South won the Make a Splash for Water Safety Video Contest. Make a Splash Mid-South will also receive a $5,000 grant from the USA Swimming Foundation in order to provide lessons to local
children.
The visit will mark the final stop of the USA Swimming Foundation’s six-city Make a Splash with Cullen Jones Tour Presented by Phillips 66. The national water safety tour is designed to educate parents, kids and communities about the importance of learning to swim. Starring the Olympic gold medalist, the Memphis tour stop will include a visit to a local school, camp or community center and a once-in-a-lifetime swim lesson with Jones.
After being named one of five finalists, Memphis received hundreds of thousands of votes to win the video contest. Runners up included Brunswick, Ga., Landover, Md., Irvington, NJ and St. Paul, Minn.
“We were overwhelmed by the quality of video entries that we received, and it was inspiring to see the incredible work that is being done by Make a Splash Mid-South and our over 540 Make a Splash partners,” said Debbie Hesse, executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation. “Memphis produced excellent video, involved members of the community and ultimately showed that they are committed to making a difference in the area of learn-to-swim. We’re thrilled we can help with that effort.”
The Tour, which kicked off in March with stops in Houston and New Orleans, will continue in August and
September. Dates and locations are as follow:
August 24-25 Chicago
August 26-27 Des Moines, Ia.
Sept. 6-8 San Jose, Calif.
Sept. TBA Memphis, Tenn.
Make a Splash is the national water safety initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation. The initiative works by educating parents and communities through a national awareness campaign, impacting local cities through the annual Make a Splash with Cullen Jones Tour presented by Phillips 66 and by aligning its over
540 local partner organizations in an effort to provide every child in America with the opportunity to learn to swim. To date, more than 1.3M children have taken swimming lessons through Make a Splash local partners.
Sobering Drowning Statistics
Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. Drowning is also a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study. Furthermore, 60-70 percent of African-American and Hispanic children cannot swim, and only 13 percent of kids who come from a non-swimming household will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. African-American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their Caucasian peers, the CDC reports.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in
life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. The Foundation also serves as the home
for our National and Olympic Team Alumni reunions and regional events. The development efforts of the USA Swimming Foundation aim to establish an endowment to strengthen the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
About Phillips 66
Headquartered in Houston, TX, Phillips 66 is an advantaged downstream energy company with segment-leading Refining and Marketing (R&M), Midstream and Chemicals businesses. Since 1973, the company's contributions have supported the USA Swimming community through the National Championships and other international competitions, publication of club development materials, and other areas. To learn more about
Phillips 66, please visit www.phillips66.com.