We help Black communities learn to love the water.
At Alma Swim Foundation, we believe the water belongs to all of us. So we’re here to help every child and family in our Black communities experience the joy, safety, and freedom of being in the water, one free swim lesson at a time.
“This program has helped people overcome their fears” - Wesley T., Lifeguard
“When someone has water competency they are less likely to be scared” - Mayor Angie Gardner of Eatonville
“To see this whole thing happen in our backyard, and what’s gonna happen when it goes out, to me is amazing” - Joseph Daniels, board member (and big brother)
“This program has helped people overcome their fears” - Wesley T., Lifeguard “When someone has water competency they are less likely to be scared” - Mayor Angie Gardner of Eatonville “To see this whole thing happen in our backyard, and what’s gonna happen when it goes out, to me is amazing” - Joseph Daniels, board member (and big brother)
Free Swim Lessons
We connect our community to free and affordable swim lessons. That includes finding the right instructor to fit your needs and providing Alma Swim Scholarships to cover any costs you can’t afford. No matter what age you decide to take the plunge, or how many lessons it takes for you to stay afloat, we’re here for you.
Water Safety Events
From water safety workshops like April Pools Day to community-wide events like the World’s Largest Swim Lesson, our events welcome the Black community of Central Florida into the water safely and joyfully.
Join The 1,000 Lesson Pledge
To date, Alma Swim Foundation has provided $10,000 in swim lesson scholarships, enabling 300 individuals to take 500 swim lessons.
It’s not nearly enough.
Between 2019 and 2021, drowning rates for Black children jumped by almost 28%. Black children ages 10-14 are nearly seven times more likely to drown in pools than white children in the same age group. These numbers won’t change without real action.
That’s why Alma Swim Foundation wants to provide 1,000 Swim Lessons a year to people in the Black community – and we can’t do it alone. It will take more instructors, more dollars, more volunteers, more people committed to making the water safe and fun for all of us. We’re calling on you to take the 1,000 Lesson Pledge with us. Together we’ll change (and save) countless lives along the way.
The mission of Alma Swim Foundation is to make swimming accessible and transformative, turning pools and aquatic spaces from places of fear into spaces of freedom and confidence. Learn more about our mission.
Thank you to the partners who support our mission.
