The Ventura Family YMCA and The Rotary Club of Ventura –East have come together to provide free swim lessons for children living in shelters and transitional homes in Ventura. Operation Splash will be held at the Ventura Family YMCA and will teach swim lessons to over 300 children in the area.
Each child will participate in a 4 week session consisting of 8 swim lessons that will include basic swimming techniques and pool safety skills. Along with providing swim lessons, the Ventura Family YMCA is currently holding a swim suit, towel and goggle drive in order to collect new or gently used items for the children in Operation Splash.

“Most of these children are in unfortunate situations.” explains, Ventura Family Aquatics Director, Amber Stevens. “The YMCA is here to provide opportunities for everyone in our community. Learning how to swim, while fun, is also great exercise that can act as a stress relief and provide a sense of accomplishment.”

The Rotary Club of Ventura- East has a tradition of participating in international projects but this year wanted to create a program in the community that would make a difference locally. “As a beach community, we are all sensitive to the news reports every year where a child drowns because they never learned to swim” said Jeff Hata, President of Rotary Club Ventura-East. “We are happy to provide the funds necessary to make this program a reality…with this program we truly feel that together, The Rotary Club of Ventura-East and the Ventura Family YMCA will reach out and touch many hands and truly make this world a better place to be.”

A mandatory meeting for all shelter and transitional living directors, who are interested in participating in the program, will take place on April 21 at the Ventura Family YMCA. The first swim session will kick off on May 17.

If you would like more information on Operation Splash and how you can help contribute items to the program please contact Amber Stevens at the Ventura Family YMCA at 805-642-2131 ext 19 or amber.stevens@ciymca.org.

About the Ventura Family YMCA
The Ventura Family YMCA serves over 20,000 individuals annually through facility memberships, before & after school childcare, day & resident camps, youth sports, swim lessons, teen programs, and many more healthy lifestyles and community enriching programs throughout Ventura, Oxnard, Ojai, Santa Paula, and Saticoy. Through the Open Doors program the YMCA ensures that no one is ever turned away due to their inability to pay and facility memberships without contracts or join fees makes the Ventura Family YMCA accessible to everyone. The Ventura Family YMCA is located at 3760 Telegraph Rd., Ventura, CA 93003 and online at www.ciymca.org/ventura.