News

Safe Pool Party

Friday, August 10, 2012

The summer break is over and children have returned to school, there's still time for some fun while learning important facts about pool safety.  Drowning is the leading cause of death for kids under the age of five.  To try and stop this deadly trend, the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, Kohl's Center for Safety, Lee County Parks and Recreation and members of the Sheriff's Youth Activities League (SYAL) will host a Safe Pool Party on Saturday, August 18th, from 9:00 a.m. until Noon at the Tice Community Pool.  The pool is located at 4515 Glenwood Avenue, just behind Tice Elementary School.  The party is designed to not only give children another opportunity to enjoy the water, but also familiarize and educate citizens on pool safety. 

The Tice Community Pool reopened over the summer after a long period of inactivity.  Several programs were held on Sundays while students were out of school, serving more than 750 children and family members and coordinated by the Sheriff's Youth Activities League.  The program was a great success and organizers of the safety event expect the same result.  The long-term goal of SYAL is to see the pool open year round and offer swim classes.

SYAL welcomes event sponsors, donations and volunteers for all activities which include the pool program, teen dances, basketball, archery and T.O.O.L.S. (Teens Outstanding Occupation Leadership Solution).  For more information, call the Sheriff's Office Public Services Division at (239) 477-1395 or the SYAL Executive Director, Deputy Jeffrey Santella at (239) 849-1084.  

More details on the Safe Pool Party are available from Kohl's Center for Safety at (239) 343-5224. 

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