YMCAs in Indianapolis area offer swimming scholarships for youths

AVON, Ind. (WISH) — If you know children who need swimming lessons, YMCAs in the Indianapolis area are offering scholarships to teach them how.

The effort was designed to teach kids in underserved communities about water safety.

The Greater Indianapolis YMCA centers are upping their commitment to the cause after the COVID-19 pandemic, when fewer kids learned to swim.

Chelsea Walls, association director of aquatics, shared her passion for teaching children to swim and pushing the program forward on Wednesday’s “All Indiana.” Watch the videos for more.

The YMCA found that according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that drowning is the second-leading cause of death for kids age 1 to 14. Meanwhile, in ethnically diverse communities, youths drown at a rate two to three times higher than the national average; this information was based on a study by USA Swimming.

Go online to learn about a YMCA swimming instruction scholarship program near you.

Participating centers are Baxter YMCA, Benjamin Harrison YMCA, Fishers YMCA, Hendricks Regional Health YMCA, Irsay Family YMCA at CityWay, Jordan YMCA, OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA, Ransburg YMCA and Witham Family YMCA.