DETROIT (WXYZ) — Free swim lessons are being offered in metro Detroit to promote water safety.
Huron-Clinton Metroparks is partnering with other organizations to cover costs of equipment, instructors, swimsuits and goggles.
The goal is the address gaps in swim safety and help prevent water-related deaths and injuries. Metroparks says more than 25 people drown in Michigan every summer.
Metroparks said it conducted a survey in 2021 to identify gaps in water safety. They said the survey found the cost of swim lessons as one of the biggest barriers in Southeast Michigan.
“Southeast Michigan has some of the best water recreation opportunities available, and we want everyone to have full 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,” Huron-Clinton Metroparks Director Amy McMillan said in a statement. “We can accomplish more together than we can by working individually.”
Lessons will be provided at Brennan, Heilmann, Butzel and Patton pools with certified instructors from the American Red Cross. All the locations are accessible by public bus routes.
To register, visit the city’s website.
Metroparks has also partnered with Family YMCA in Mount Clemens to offer swim lessons to 175 students. Registration for this program hasn’t opened yet, but people can call 586-468-1411 for more information.
In Washtenaw County, Metroparks partnered with Friends of Rutherford pool in Ypsilanti to offer lessons to 300 kids in the 48197 and 48198 zip codes.
To register in Washtenaw County, visit forpool.org.
“It’s really great to join forces with so many extraordinary organizations to address a long-standing safety disparity in our community,” McMillan said. “Everyone deserves to enjoy their summer in a safe and fun way.”
