Nearly 180 children drowned in Arizona in 2011 -- up from 140 in 2010, according to the Children's Safety Zone, an organization that tracks the state's drowning statistics. But a Sun City grandmother is working hard to cut that number.
Kathleen O'Brien Lawrence, 68, has raised about $2,000 benefiting the Valley of the Sun YMCA's drowning-prevention programs over the past three years.
Her efforts have taken her from swimming among the glaciers in Alaska to rivers in France.
Lawrence completed her 100th mile Saturday at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Goodyear.
"I'm going to do another 20 for the Y because it's their 120th anniversary this year," she said.
The importance of children learning to swim was first made clear to Lawrence when, as a child, she pulled her 2-year-old sister out of a Minnesota lake before it was too late.
The number of children Lawrence knew who lost their lives to drowning increased as she aged. And the issue was increasingly at the forefront of her mind when she moved to Arizona, which regularly ranks among the top-five states for childhood drownings. Lawrence concluded that she had to draw more attention to the issue.
"You can never take your eyes off the child," Lawrence said. "Children and water don't mix unless there's an adult there."
Lawrence is a member of U.S. Masters Swimming, a national swimming organization for adults. She supports the YMCA because of its commitment to making swim lessons accessible, she said.
Adrianne Sloat, head of the Southwest Valley Family YMCA board of managers, said the organization has always been committed to teaching underprivileged kids about water safety.
"The policy is we don't turn anyone away from any services at the Y for a lack ability to pay," Sloat said. "You should never not walk in the door because you're afraid that you won't be able to afford it."
Lawrence works with local fire departments and children's hospitals to promote drowning prevention and hopes to eventually affect legislation. She wants parents whose children drown due to neglect to be held accountable.
Lawrence, a former triathlete, understands that swimming doesn't come easily for everyone.
Three years ago, she was told she'd never swim again after crushing her left rotator cuff in an accident at home. But Lawrence was back in the pool three months later. She's had seven surgeries over the past two years to repair the injury.
"I would get back in the pool as soon as the stitches healed," Lawrence said. "I've got the lungs of a 21-year-old."
Lawrence, who in 2010 swam across San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz with nearly 50 youths, often does the backstroke while balancing a bottle of Gatorade on her head, a skill she learned on a swim team.
"If I look silly with this orange bottle on my forehead, if I can save one kid's life, it's all worth it," she said.
Angelica Webb, 19, is the swim and dive coach at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA. She said the publicity Lawrence attracts to Arizona's childhood-drowning issue has been invaluable.
"Kids get false faith in their ability to swim," Webb said. "That's the biggest issue. If there's no fear, they're not afraid to jump in. As soon as they're in their 'I know how to swim' phase, that's when you need to watch them most."
Kathleen O'Brien Lawrence, 68, has raised about $2,000 benefiting the Valley of the Sun YMCA's drowning-prevention programs over the past three years.
Her efforts have taken her from swimming among the glaciers in Alaska to rivers in France.
Lawrence completed her 100th mile Saturday at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Goodyear.
"I'm going to do another 20 for the Y because it's their 120th anniversary this year," she said.
The importance of children learning to swim was first made clear to Lawrence when, as a child, she pulled her 2-year-old sister out of a Minnesota lake before it was too late.
The number of children Lawrence knew who lost their lives to drowning increased as she aged. And the issue was increasingly at the forefront of her mind when she moved to Arizona, which regularly ranks among the top-five states for childhood drownings. Lawrence concluded that she had to draw more attention to the issue.
"You can never take your eyes off the child," Lawrence said. "Children and water don't mix unless there's an adult there."
Lawrence is a member of U.S. Masters Swimming, a national swimming organization for adults. She supports the YMCA because of its commitment to making swim lessons accessible, she said.
Adrianne Sloat, head of the Southwest Valley Family YMCA board of managers, said the organization has always been committed to teaching underprivileged kids about water safety.
"The policy is we don't turn anyone away from any services at the Y for a lack ability to pay," Sloat said. "You should never not walk in the door because you're afraid that you won't be able to afford it."
Lawrence works with local fire departments and children's hospitals to promote drowning prevention and hopes to eventually affect legislation. She wants parents whose children drown due to neglect to be held accountable.
Lawrence, a former triathlete, understands that swimming doesn't come easily for everyone.
Three years ago, she was told she'd never swim again after crushing her left rotator cuff in an accident at home. But Lawrence was back in the pool three months later. She's had seven surgeries over the past two years to repair the injury.
"I would get back in the pool as soon as the stitches healed," Lawrence said. "I've got the lungs of a 21-year-old."
Lawrence, who in 2010 swam across San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz with nearly 50 youths, often does the backstroke while balancing a bottle of Gatorade on her head, a skill she learned on a swim team.
"If I look silly with this orange bottle on my forehead, if I can save one kid's life, it's all worth it," she said.
Angelica Webb, 19, is the swim and dive coach at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA. She said the publicity Lawrence attracts to Arizona's childhood-drowning issue has been invaluable.
"Kids get false faith in their ability to swim," Webb said. "That's the biggest issue. If there's no fear, they're not afraid to jump in. As soon as they're in their 'I know how to swim' phase, that's when you need to watch them most."
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