As the weather begins to get warmer in metro Detroit, many people of all ages will take to the water for swimming. May is also National Water Safety Month.
The Huron-Clinton Metroparks are once again teaming up with partners around metro Detroit to provide free swimming lessons to more than 1,000 kids throughout the area.
The Metroparks are providing funding to help partners cover the cost of equipment and instruction, investing over $143,000 to support lessons.
The current list of partners and locations the Metroparks are working with this summer are:
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Belle Isle – 150 students
- City of Detroit Parks and Recreation and Detroit Riverfront Conservancy – Brennan Pool – 360 students
- Wayne County Parks – Chandler Park – 80 students
- Friends of Rutherford Pool and Washtenaw County Parks – Rutherford Pool – 514 students
- Oakland County Parks, Oakland County Sherriff PAL and City of Pontiac Parks & Recreation – Waterford Oaks – 120 students
- Macomb Family YMCA – 175 students
- Howell-Highlander Pool – 48 students
- Ann Arbor YMCA – Birkett Lake – details to be determined
“Southeast Michigan has some of the best water recreation opportunities available, and we want everyone to have access and feel safe when they visit the parks, so we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with organizations throughout the region to improve swim safety for the children who live here,” shared Amy McMillan, director of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks. “We can accomplish more together than we can by working individually.”
Most lessons start in early June and registration is open for some locations and will continue to open throughout the next few weeks. Additional dates and classes may be added through the summer.
You can find all the information on the Metroparks website here. Some registrations are through the partner locations, so make sure to read the information associated specifically with the location you are most interested in.
“Next year we hope the swim program is bigger than this year’s, and bigger the year after that,” said McMillan. “Our biggest hope is that every single child who lives in southeast Michigan learns how to swim and will be safe in the water for their entire lives.
