At least four children have died by drowning in Connecticut this year.
They include a 3-year-old in Danbury, a 5-year-old in Sprague, a 17-year-old in Bridgeport and a 17-year-old in Waterbury.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said access to swim lessons may have saved their lives — and wants low-income families to have access to classes.
He visited Stewie The Duck Swim School in Westport on Monday. The school was opened this summer by Stew Leonard Jr. and his wife Kim, who lost their child in a drowning incident in 1989.
Stewie the Duck uses all of its profits to fund swim lessons for kids in need.
“We know that kids are far less likely to drown if they know how to float or swim,” Blumenthal said. “It's common sense. But four [Connecticut] children already this year have drowned, the average in the United States is 900 a year. Stew Leonard Jr. is saving lives, literally, by teaching kids how to swim, and educating parents about the importance of knowing how to swim.”
For every five swim lessons purchased at Stewie the Duck, one is donated to a kid from the YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.
“My recommendation to the moms and dads and the grandparents today is your child will have a nine out of 10 chance they will not drown if you get them into swim lessons,” Leonard Jr. said.
