Red Cross teaching people of all ages how to swim
CHICAGO (CBS) -- You see them respond to disasters, but the American Red Cross also works tirelessly to prevent tragedies by teaching lifesaving skills, including swimming.
At the Boys and Girls Club in Bridgeport, kids as young as 5 years old are able to get free swim lessons through the Red Cross.
"Everybody needs to know how to swim," said Timothy Oldenburg, a strategic account executive at American Red Cross Training Services.
With about 11 people drowning in the United States every day, the Red Cross saw a need.
"Drowning can be preventable almost every single time, if appropriate precautions are taken to supervise your children when they're in and around the water," Oldenburg said.
It's not just children. Many adults don't know how to swim, especially in underserved areas. So teaching all ages about water safety is crucial.
That's why the Red Cross works directly with organizations in those areas, providing step-by-step instructions for learn-to-swim programs; lifeguarding classes; and first aid, CPR, and AED training.
"We put those resources in place strategically in communities where the drowning rate was the highest," Oldenburg said.
Cynthia Bedolla is the director of aquatic operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, and she knows first-hand how valuable Red Cross training is.
"Partnering with the Red Cross was the first item on my to-do list," she said. "I learned how to swim through the learn-to-swim program with the American Red Cross."
The Red Cross then trained her to be a lifeguard and to train others as well.
"Slowly throughout the decades, I've been a little more and more invested in the American Red Cross curriculum and programs, and they've done an amazing job at always keeping water safety as a number one priority," she said.
The partnership has proven to be successful, and Bedolla said it "absolutely" is saving lives.
"That's really our goal as much as possible, is to help make these swim lessons and these programs accessible to anybody and everybody, no matter what your background is," Oldenburg.
Accessibility comes in the form of free classes at four neighborhood facilities in Chicago.
"If this program, or if one program out there can prevent a drowning, then that's alleviating human suffering,"
Back at the pool, there is only pure excitement. The kids look forward to their time in the pool, learning life-saving skills and making memories along the way.
"They love it," Bedolla said.
If you have no access to a pool, there are dryland classes available on the Red Cross website, where you can practice the strokes out of the water to prepare for your next time in the water.
