September 26, 2008 . . . Starting October 6, Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation will offer free learn to swim classes at Tony Aguirre Community Center, Gregg Klice Community Center and at Central High School.

Both community centers have 50 free slots for learn to swim classes; Central High School has 125 slots available. Classes run for 8-weeks and are open to kids ages 8-17. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

• 9 people drown each day in the U.S.
• In ethnically-diverse communities, the youth drowning rate is more than double the national average
• Nearly six out of 10 African American and Hispanic/Latino children are unable to swim, nearly twice as many as their Caucasian counterparts
• The key indicator in this was not race, but family -- Children from non-swimming households are eight times more likely to be at-risk of drowning
• While about 1/3 of white children from non- swimming families go on to learn to swim, less than 1/10 of children in non-swimming African American families do. By teaching these children, "Make a Splash" is breaking the cycle and creating generations of parents-to-be who will know how to swim

Registration for free swim classes is available now at Tony Aguire Community Center, 2050 West Pennway; Gregg-Klice Community Center, 1600 John "Buck" O'Neil Way; and evening hours at Central High School, 3201 Indiana. Contact Sam Duncan, 816-513-7655, for details.

Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation

Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation's mission is to improve the quality of life by providing recreational, leisure and aesthetic opportunities for all citizens, and by conserving and enhancing the environment. We accomplish this mission by providing quality programming, making the best use of existing resources, developing a supportive and influential constituency, developing effective collaborations and partnerships, and acquiring and preserving natural features.

Make a Splash

Make a Splash is a national child-focused water safety initiative created by the USA Swimming Foundation. It works by aligning the nation's top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children through wide-reaching in- school materials.