Hand in Hand Water Safety Awareness Foundation

Hand in Hand Water Safety Awareness Foundation was founded by Darlene Haskins, she started this non-profit organization to help spread awareness on drownings, education on drownings and help low income families with financial aide for swim lessons as well as many other wonderful things in our community. While Darlene and her Foundation have been able to help save thousands of lives in and outside our community, in and outside our country Covid-19 took her lifesaving to a screeching halt, like many Americans Darlene, Her Business and Foundation found itself struggling to stay above water...if anyone has ever had the privilege to meet Darlene you will know that Covid-19 did not stop her, she spent endless hours on the website, on phone calls with parents, on social media trying to spread as much education as possible and spending all her personal savings to pull together a location and to prepare this location to teach her lifesaving skills for over 1,000 families...let that sink number sink in....Darlene even requested during NC Phase 1 from the Governor to open up as an Essential Business due to the increase of drownings in our area and was denied to reopen from the Governor himself.... Most do not know this but childhood drownings since Covid-19 has more than doubled, why you ask? Because parents and caretakers are working from home, trying to work, homeschool and keep an eye on thier children 24/7. Drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death in children between ages 1-4 years of age.  What is so special about these swim lessons? Darlene and Ryen teach survival swim lessons as young as 6 months of age, your child will know what to do in an emergency situation if one ever arises for them, they will turn and float for air, they also ate taught the fundamentals of swimming as well. Darlene and Ryen skill the child, just as you have your child wear a helmet on thier bicycle learning to float before swimming is equally important. After 11 weeks out of the pool for Darlene,Ryen and her ARC team as well as hundreds of children, she opened at her new location. Due to unpredictable and inconsiderate issues with a neighbor at the new temporary location they are unable to proceed with lessons, they have been shut down by the city, they are to immediately stop saving lives.....let's let that sink in for a minute...even though we know for a fact drownings in children are on the rise. First Darlene was told drowning prevention was not essential by the Governor, now 12 weeks later told by the city no to the temporary location....HOW DO WE SAVE LIVES NOW? YOU.... We all need to help Darlene and Hand in Hand Water Safety Awareness Foundation raise the funds that they need to purchase a facility to teach life saving skills in. The Foundation does have a local location they would like to purchase so that Darlene, Ryen and the ARC team can continue saving our children's lives.  We .need YOUR help, YOUR support and YOUR donations to help fund this amazing cause. We need to get all the children skilled, safe and educated in the water. Help us prevent childhood drowning. Hand in Hand is partnering with Safe Swim NC to make all donations towards a swim facility. If a permanent facility does not happen do to not enough funds or any other reason it falls through all donated money will go to scholarships for lessons in our community for low income families.