Balcones Woods Blue Wave - 2024 Colin's Hope Pledge Swim

This is the 12th year we have done this fundraiser for Colin’s Hope, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to raise WATER SAFETY awareness to PREVENT CHILDHOOD DROWNING. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Find out more about Colin’s Hope at www.colinshope.org.

Special thanks to ALLISON DADY of Realty Austin for her generous sponsorship of our Colin’s Hope Pledge Swim prizes!

Details:

• The Colin’s Hope Pledge Swim will be Wednesday, June 12, during all regular practice times, including 6:45 a.m. We will need LAP COUNTERS for all practices.  Sign-up to be a lap counter and we’ll provide the coffee!

• Help boost our Blue Wave swimmers, sign up to provide snacks and drinks to fuel their pledge swim effort.

• This is a pledge-per-length event. Ask parents, grandparents, and/or friends to sponsor you for the swim. We KNOW you’ll finish the laps!

• Paid pledges of $75.00 or more will earn the swimmer a Colin’s Hope swim cap or water bottle. Colin’s Hope prize packages will also be given to the swimmer who raises the most money and who has the most donors.

• Donate online through the Balcones Woods Blue Wave - Colin's Hope Pledge Swim fundraising page. Be sure to include the name of the child in the 'Donation Message' box so that the swimmer gets credit toward prizes.

• ALL SWIMMERS ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE.

How to Donate:

• Visit the Balcones Woods Blue Wave - Colin's Hope Pledge Swim donation page.

• Click on the GREEN 'Donate' button.

• A pop-up window will open asking you to login. You can bypass this step and click the 'X' at the top right to close the pop-up window.

• Fill out the 'SECURE DONATION FORM' to donate.

• In the 'Donation Message' box, please include the name of the child so that the swimmer gets credit towards prizes.

Lap Expectations:

Prize Info:

• Snacks and drinks will be available for swimmers at the end of each session.

• A cash prize will be awarded to the top three swimmers who earn the most money.

• There will be a special prize for swimmers in each age group who swim the most laps.

• A popsicle party will be awarded to the age group with the highest percentage of swimmers earning pledges and to the age group that raises the most money.

• No prize for getting the most pledges.

Did you know that drowning is the #1 cause of death for children ages 1-4 and a leading cause for older children, teens and adults, yet drowning is preventable?

Last year, Texas alone lost at least 87 children to FATAL, PREVENTABLE Drowning, while 7x as many have survived a non-fatal drowning.

Drowning does not discriminate on any basis- age, race, gender, socioeconomic level or even swimming ability.  NO ONE IS DROWN PROOF. 

What does Colin's Hope do with the funds raised by Athlete Ambassadors?

Colin's Hope uses the funds raised by Athlete Ambassadors to educate parents/caregivers and children to be safer aorund the water all year round through proven progams. Colin's Hope distributes water safety education cards each year, sponsors swim lessons and water safety education lessons, stocks life jacket loaner stations, serves in leadership positions locally, state and nationwide. Colin's Hope shares our evidence-based Water Safety with Colin & Friends curriculum on a new website, www.drowningispreventable.org  that allows parentss, caregivers, teachers and children FREE access to water safety lessons and videos. And it is available in both English & Spanish.

The work that Colin's Hope does ABSOLUTELY saves lives, changes behaviors to be safer around water and prevents drownings. If we continue this work, we CAN END DROWNING. Together, we will do this in honor of Colin and all of the children lost to a fatal drowning so no familiy will have to experience a preventable tragedy. It will take ALL of US to change the culture of water safety. We envision the day when kids learn about water safety just as they learn not to touch the stove or to wear a seatbelt or to stop, drop and roll. We know we can get there if we work together.

Remember that DROWNING IS Fast. Silent. AND Preventable. And please tell your family and friends.

Please Become a Water Watcher. Take and share the Colin's Hope Water Safety Quiz at www.colinshope.org/quiz

As Colin used to say-Have the Best Day Ever!