THOMASVILLE- The Thomasville Junior Service League has a longstanding history of providing donations to ensure every pre-k student is provided with swim lessons by the YMCA. On Thursday, the JSL continued its tradition by presenting a check to CEO Tom Everett and Aquatics Director Sammy Morrow. 

According to Everett, the swimming lessons are provided to both the city and county schools for pre-K and K-5 students and is one of their longest-running offers. 

Each class is brought to the YMCA as part of the regular curriculum for two weeks, where kids not only learn to swim but also learn water safety. 

“We talk about what it looks like to rescue your friends if you see your friends are in trouble in the pool,” Everett said. 

He went on to explain while they discuss serious topics, such as lifesaving skills, they also show the kids that the pool is a place where they can have fun and interact with friends, as long as they know their capabilities. 

“We talk about what it looks like to have a mindset of respecting the pool and knowing that if you aren’t a great swimmer, you need to stay in the shallow areas, where you can access the wall and steps.” 

Everett acknowledged that whether it be a pool or ocean, there are so many ways kids can enjoy bodies of water, but it’s also vital they understand it can also be a place where they can get in trouble if they aren’t following the rules. 

“That’s why we put such a big emphasis on the safety aspect, but we want them to learn to swim too,” he said. 

Everett explained some of the kids who come to the learn to swim lessons are already relatively good swimmers, and in that case, they help kids advance to the next level. 

However, there are kids who are seeing a larger body of water for the first time and are intimidated by the idea of going underwater or jumping in. 

“It’s very common for non-swimmers to come in and have a fear of the water,” Everett said. “For the first lesson or two, it’s not uncommon for kids to still come in afraid, but what you generally see is confidence develop.” 

Staff and instructors remind students throughout the duration of the lessons that they don’t have to be afraid, as they are there the entire time to help teach them and protect them. 

The confidence gained from knowing that helps these once-intimidated preschoolers grow into assured swimmers, capable of putting their heads underwater and saving friends, when necessary. 

“Swimming is much more about being confident than it is about physical skill,” Everett said. 

To celebrate the preschoolers’ newfound confidence and swimming abilities, the YMCA instructors throw a celebration at the end of the two weeks, placing an inflatable in the pool for everyone to play on. 

While some kids may have never jumped into the pool to play on it originally, it has become a cherished tradition now. 

“It is truly amazing to see the growth, even in a two-week period of time from the first lesson up until the last lesson,” Everett said. 

These two-week courses and ensuing progress wouldn’t be possible without community sponsors who have allowed kids to take swim lessons at no cost. 

“As a community, we should all strive to never have a single drowning in our community, that should be all of our goals,” he said. “Anything that we can do as a community partner to try to help kids be more confident and safer around water is a good thing.” 

The JSL is proud to be one of those community partners, ensuring families don’t have to pay a penny or worry about transporting their child to and from swim lessons, as schools handle the transportation and logistics. 

To continue providing for the cause, the JSL will be selling barbecue plates for a dinner at the History Center on May 8th. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased from members. Just as with the annual Pilau Dinner at the History Center, those in attendance can take plates to go, or dine in and listen to the musical lyrics of Derrick Flowers.