Organization encourages swimming safety following nearly drowning of child in University Park pool

A young child is OK after nearly drowning at a pool on Saturday afternoon.

The near-drowning happened in a community area at The Plaza apartment in University Park.

Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole spoke to the chairman of an organization that’s trying to prevent drowning deaths from happening in the future—through education.

Going to the beach or pool is one of the easiest ways to stay cool in the summer months. But it can also be one of the most dangerous.

On Saturday afternoon, a child nearly drowned in the pool at the Plaza Apartments in University Park.

While the child is OK, this narrative is all too common in Florida. In March, a Jacksonville four-year-old boy died after he was found unconscious at a residential pool.

There were  51 fatal child drownings in 2017 and 80 percent of those drownings involved a child younger than five, according to the USA Swimming Foundation.

The Shawn D. Delifus Foundation is trying to change that.

The program was created in 2016 by Joyce Delifus after the sudden death of her son—a very popular swim coach throughout Florida and Pennsylvania.

The program kicked off it’s second year at The Legend Center on Soutel Drive. In 2017, the Shawn D. Delifus Foundation partnered with the Johnson Branch YMCA on Cleveland Road.

The organization was able to provide free swimming lessons to 70 people last year.

Camilla Collins, the chairman of the organization, says it was created to teach--not only children, but entire families--about swimming safety.

“What we teach them is how to behave and handle themselves around water. So it's not just the pool, it's the ocean,” Collins told Action News Jax.

The teaching team is made up of certified CPR instructors, nutritionists, professional swim coaches and life guards.

Collins says me she believes more drownings and near-drownings can be prevented if more children and adults are taught the fundamentals of swimming.

Collins also believes the number of child drownings is influenced by distractions.  She stressed the importance of paying attention to kids near any body of water.

“Being vigilant, being with them, being present. Not on an iPhone, not buried in a book. If they’re at the beach or pool, insuring that they have their full attention--in terms of watching them, because it only takes minutes--not seconds--but minutes to drown.

For this very reason, Collins said they’re calling on the City of Jacksonville help make sure they can continue to provide swimming education, for free.

Last year they had to turn away 82 applicants, due to lack of funding.

The Shawn D. Delifus Foundation is supported by private donations from the community.

For more information, visit Shawn D. Delifus Foundation's website.

Cox Media Group