Colorado couple hopes to prevent drownings with life jacket loaner station at Boyd Lake

Bill and Melissa O'Melia's son Drennan was just 12 years old when he died in a drowning accident in 2010. Now the couple hopes to prevent drownings in honor of their son. 

They started "Drennan's Dreams Foundation" which works to prevent drownings across Colorado and the nation. On Tuesday, they opened the Life Jacket Loaner station at Boyd Lake in Loveland. 

They created the station last summer which is a cabinet of different-sized life jackets that people can borrow and use for a day on the lake. 

"It was time for us to start giving back to Colorado. Last year in 2022, we had a record number of drownings in the state of Colorado," said Bill O'Melia.  

The couple hopes to start setting up life jacket loaner stations around the state.