We Need A Pool

My name is Adrienne Wesley, and I am a swim coach and founder of Swim Life Fitness.

I've coached incredible young people like Ty, who currently holds THREE national records in junior Olympics for swimming and is now an instructor; or people like Gage, who is one of the top swimmers in his 8 and under group after only learning to swim less than a year ago.

What makes children like Ty and Gabe so incredible is that they are at the top of their game, in spite of their own special needs, from autism to downs syndrome to day-to-day sensory challenges, outside of the pool.

One may assume that a child with special needs would be terrified of getting near water; but actually, the opposite is true: they run toward the water because they're lured toward it. And oftentimes, they will jump in without even thinking...or worse, if they don't even know how to swim.

Today, drowning is the #1 cause of death among children with autism. So it is ESSENTIAL for children with special needs to learn how to swim. This is why I've spent the past 20 years coaching children with sensory challenges on how to swim, and why I started Swim Life Fitness.

Swim Life Fitness is focused on creating a healthy and safe relationship between children with special needs and water. We do three things:

(1) We provide individual coaching, 1:1, for children with special needs. 

(2) Group coaching: we combine physical therapy exercises and swimming for a group of young swimmers. 

(3) Lead a special Olympics swim /adapted swim team team.

There are not many options for families with a child with sensory issues to learn how to swim. Larger swim programs are not designed for children with special needs and most swim instructors are not trained to do it. Most options are either inaccessible because they are far away or too expensive.

To date, we have served over 187 young people with special needs across the metro Atlanta area. 

Because we have to provide specialized instruction to these children and have to create the appropriate conditions for them to learn, teaching children with special needs how to swim is expensive.

This year, we want to ensure that our swim programs can reach diverse families who need us. Combine having sensory issues and not knowing how to swim, you now have too many of our children at risk of jumping into water without knowing how to swim and possibly drown.

We are looking to raise $25,000 to provide free or reduced cost swim instruction to 100 children with special needs  in 2022.  We are looking for 100 people to become $20 monthly supporters or to invest $250 to help us reach this goal.

Additionally, we are in need of a swimming pool that we can use year-round to provide safe and uninterrupted instruction to children. The pools needs to be 25 yards, ADA compliant, and indoors for year round use. 

I've been a n educator and coach a long time, but I'm also a mother of a child with sensory challenges. And I can tell you with confidence, these children do not need our sympathy. I wish you could feel the absolute JOY these children feel when they're in the water and they know how to enjoy it. They transform. So when you invest in Swim Life Fitness, you aren't just investing in these children building a skill...you are giving them a gift of joy and excitement that they will have for the rest of their lives