Swim Safe Forever is a registered 501 (c)(3) EIN: 45-3791585
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ABOUT US
SSF Creation
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Swim Safe Forever began when the parents of Elliot Barbier shared their story of losing their son to drowning with a room full of swim instructors. His parents passed out baby blankets embroidered with an image of Elliot holding a blankie. We left that night holding this baby blanket, feeling a sense of urgency to do something more to prevent childhood drowning in Brevard County, Florida. No parent should be left grieving, saying, "We didn't know." Too many parents do not know that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1 -4, and parents do not know the many of the layers of protection to prevent drowning.
We decided to find a method to provide scholarships for self-rescue-type swim lessons in Brevard County, FL. But that was not enough, we needed to go one step further. We needed to educate our community and become more involved.
Childhood drowning is a community epidemic and needs to be solved as a community. Since our first "Awareness Walk", we have been heavily involved in Brevard County. We have since opened chapters in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and Northwest Houston.
In 2022, we made the decision to change our organization's bylaws, allowing us to provide survival swimming lesson scholarships around the United States. In 2024, we moved our organization to Texas!
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We work with other nonprofits with similar missions nationally to prevent childhood drowning through education with the project "Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning."
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Our Board of Directors is made up of community leaders who have a passion for keeping children safe.
PRESIDENT
Ms. Jenny
Vice president
Dr. Heather
SECRETARY
TREASURER
Mr. Adam​
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Board Members
Ms. Briana
Dr. Heather
Philip
Ms. Jenny, Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning
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We always welcome new members to join our organization and our mission! If you have a passion for keeping children safe and would like to put that passion to work in our community, please contact president@swimsafeforever.org
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STRUCTURE OF
SWIM SAFE FOREVER
Swim Safe Forever
Board
Swim Safe Forever
Officers
Education
Committees
Fundraising
Committees
Scholarship
Committees
Meet The Team
Meet The Officers
Jenny
In 2016, I lost my toddler son to drowning. It has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I want to help prevent other parents from making the same mistakes we did so they do not have to suffer this tragedy.
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I did not know about survival swimming lessons or layers of protection. Our focus at Swim safe Forever is to educate about drowning prevention with the above focused. And to help people afford high quality swimming lessons as needed.
Heather, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
Heather is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as a Family Nurse Practitioner experienced in treating all ages in the emergency department and family practice settings.
Heather holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from University of Texas at Arlington. Heather then obtained her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. While completing her DNP education, she completed and implemented a community project for Drowning Prevention in children with Autism. She has continued her work in drowning prevention with Swim Safe Forever, a national nonprofit organization.
As a working mom of two daughters and a wife, Heather is frequently found cheering on her girls at various extracurricular events. When she has the time in her schedule for hobbies, Heather enjoys crafting, a good book, and any fun outdoor adventure.
Adam
My name is Adam Bennett.
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If Jackson would have taken survival swimming lessons, he could still be here with us today. I want every parent to know about these types of lessons and other methods to prevent drowning so they do not have to experience this loss.