Water Safety Day May 14 at DiVentures

Event Aims to Educate Community, Prevent Child Drowning

Omaha, Neb. – May is National Water Safety Month, and DiVentures Swim School is hosting a free event to emphasize the importance of water safety to children and parents. The event will be held Saturday, May 14 and is open to the public.
DiVentures is offering two free open swim times – from 12:30-2:00pm and from 2:00-3:30pm. Advanced registration is required. DiVentures will also have hot dogs and hamburgers for guests. Children will receive free coloring books from the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation and can enjoy a book reading with Josh the Otter, mascot for the Joshua Collingworth Foundation.

The Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation was started in 2009 by Blake and Kathy Collingsworth. The couple lost their son Joshua in a drowning accident in their backyard pool in Lincoln, NE in 2008. Joshua was just two years old.
The Collingsworths have since worked to educate children and adults worldwide about water safety through utilization of drowning prevention campaigns and early childhood water safety training.

The foundation’s vision is to create a generational change in the way children and adults perceive bodies of water. To better connect with young children about a serious topic, Blake Collingsworth wrote Josh the Otter, a book emphasizing how water is fun, but only when “we are all together.”

DiVentures Swim School teaches year-round swim lessons and incorporates water safety skills in all lessons. Aquatic Director Katie Bryant says, “Learning to swim is the best way to prevent accidents near water.”

DiVentures hopes to host more events like this in future. While many children are excited about swimming this summer, it is important for them to know the importance of being safe around the water.