Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade is one of 20 Clubs chosen as part of the partnership between The ZAC Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to expand water safety programming
To continue the remarkable legacy of six-year-old Zachary Archer Cohn who drowned in a drain entrapment in 2007, Conn.-based water safety organization The ZAC Foundation has teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade to bring the Foundation’s award-winning ZAC Camp to more than 100 local five to nine-year-olds through its grant program.
The Miami ZAC Camp is part of a national five-year old partnership initiative undertaken by The ZAC Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to bring lifesaving water-safety skills to thousands of Club members across the country. Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade was selected through a rigorous application process and chosen based on its commitment to advancing water safety locally.
Since they began, ZAC Camps have taught more than 10,000 children and families the importance of water safety nationwide.
“Each year we are overjoyed to see Zachary’s legacy live on in each and every Boys & Girls Clubs member who attends ZAC Camp,” said Karen Cohn, co-founder of The ZAC Foundation. “It is incredibly special to bring our program to Miami with Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade to equip a new batch of campers and their families with the tools to live safer lives around water.”
The ZAC Camp program combines in-pool swimming lessons, safety classes with First Responders, and classroom curriculum based on tenets of water safety taught in a children’s book co-authored by Zachary’s parents – The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim. By week’s end campers are equipped with critical tools to lead them on the path to safe swimming, including fundamental stroke training, emergency preparedness and response, and basic lifesaving techniques.
The 2017 Miami-Dade ZAC Camp will host campers from Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s South Beach Club at 1200 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 on Tuesday, June 27 through Friday, June 30 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Open to campers, family, and friends, the ZAC Camp will kick off with an opening ceremony on Tuesday, June 27 at 1 p.m. and conclude with a special awards ceremony that will take place on Friday, June 30 at 4 p.m.
“Our Club is incredibly grateful to The ZAC Foundation for bringing ZAC Camp to our community. We at Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade are dedicated to providing our members with important skills to help with their growth and development, and ZAC Camp gives our campers vital safety information to keep them safe in and around any body of water,” said Alex Rodriguez-Roig, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages one to four and the second leading cause in children five to 14. Risk of drowning is highest in minority populations with the fatal drowning rate almost three times that of Caucasian children. Florida alone loses more children under the age of five to drowning than any other state - and lost 80 children in 2013 alone. Many of these deaths are preventable if proper water safety measures are taken. ZAC Camp aims to reduce these statistics through community engagement and education.
About The ZAC Foundation
The ZAC Foundation was established in 2008 by Brian and Karen Cohn after the loss of their 6-year-old son Zachary Archer Cohn in a pool drain entrapment in their backyard swimming pool. Through education and advocacy, the Foundation has educated more than 10,000 children and their families on the importance of water safety and is dedicated to continue preparing more for a lifetime of water safety. To learn more about The ZAC Foundation, connect with us on Facebook and thezacfoundation.com.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade has been serving youth in the community since 1940. What once was a single building and site for boys has grown to five Clubs serving thousands of boys and girls year-round, providing programs in the areas of character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, cultural arts and sports, fitness and recreation. Club staffing, initiatives, and programs are designed to inspire and enable young people and provide them with the resources to succeed and share in the American Dream. For more information, please visit www.bgcmia.org.
