In the News
AquaMissions hopes to prevent drownings by teaching Cleveland students to swim
By Kodi Reynolds, Kirsten Kimbler | Ideastream Public Media
Every year in the United States there are over 4,000 drowning deaths, making it the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Northeast Ohio, due to the proximity to Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River, there is even more reason to teach young people to swim. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, in 2025 there were 19 drownings in Lake Erie. With summer fast approaching, the likelihood of accidental drownings increases.
The nonprofit program, AquaMissions, now located at Cleveland State University, teaches kids how to swim to help prevent accidental drownings…
Swimming for all: Cleveland kids learn to float, breathe at the pool
Roosevelt Leftwich | Fox 8 News
CLEVELAND (WJW) — There are times in life when you just have to take the plunge.
With a few exceptions most of these fourth graders at Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Garfield Elementary School have had little-to-no experience in a pool.
But after four weeks of lessons about breathing, floating and making good safe choices around any body of water, they now all find being in the water no big thing and that actually it’s pretty darn fun…
Making Waves: CSU and AquaMissions launch water safety program for Cleveland youth
Cleveland State University (CSU), AquaMissions, and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) are diving into a life-saving partnership to transform CSU’s aquatics center pool into a classroom to teach 2,500 Cleveland fourth graders critical water safety and swim skills…
Taking the Classroom to the Pool: Cleveland State University and AquaMissions Partner to Provide Water Safety Education for Cleveland Schools
CLEVELAND — As the school bells ring and students return to their classrooms, Cleveland State University (CSU) and AquaMissions are taking education to an unexpected place—the pool. This new partnership aims to teach 2,500 Cleveland Metropolitan Schools’ 4th graders essential water safety skills and swim instruction at CSU's state-of-the-art aquatics center, integrating critical life skills into their curriculum. AquaMissions is a local nonprofit dedicated to saving and changing lives through water safety and swim instruction…