Citizens For Swimming 2018

August 7,2918

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Citizens For Swimming raises funds to host children from Paterson, NJ at a public pool for swim lessons and summer fun.

photo courtesy of Citizens For Swimming

Since 1968, Citizens for Swimming has hosted summer day campers from Paterson for 9 days of swim lessons and fun in the water.

The children we host have little access to swimming. C4S provides them with a few weeks respite from the summer heat, and swimming lessons that build water safety skills. Swimming is not just fun in the sun, it is a practical skill that many of these kids have limited access to. African American children ages 5-19 drown at rates more than 5 times higher than their white counterparts. YMCA swim instructors provide Citizens for Swimming kids with skills and experiences that will serve them for a lifetime.

We spend $110 per child for our 9-day swim program. This includes bus transportation to and from Paterson (by far our biggest expense), discounted Graydon Pool admission, and supplies like bathing suits and beach towels. Some of our kids arrive the first day wearing shorts instead of a bathing suit and carrying one of their mom’s good bath towels. We provide a bathing suit and a beach towel to every child who needs one.

Sign up to volunteer (even for just 1 hour)! Click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0444afae2aa13-citizens

Make a monetary donation: https://www.youcaring.com/citizensforswimming-1090500

Donate supplies! We need new and gently used beach towels and suits for 90 campers, plus beach toys, goggles, and sunscreen. Why not clean out your closets or hit the sale racks for Citizens? Donations can be dropped at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood office (yellow house), located at 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood. We have a donation box on the porch marked “Citizens for Swimming”. Or, please bring your donations to Graydon Pool during camp hours. For your convenience you can also order from our Amazon Wish List and have your donation shipped directly to us.

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For more information, please contact us by email at c4s.usr@gmail.com.