Coast2Coast Swim Challenge Provides Grant for Swim Lessons in Los Angeles from One with the Water®

Los Angeles, CA, July 13, 2014 --(PR.com)-- This generous grant provided by the Coast2Coast Swim Challenge (C2C) the signature charity event of the Los Angeles Triathlon Club. Due to the overwhelming success of this year's Coast2Coast Swim Challenge, the generous grant to One with the Water will provide 40 small-group kids swim lessons in Los Angeles, taking each child from no water experience to basic water safety and swimming ability - all in about four hours, or eight sessions.

The 1,800+ member, thirteen-year-old LA TRI Club has recently expanded its focus to include philanthropy, founding the Coast2Coast Swim Challenge to help raise money for under-served and at-risk youth to learn basic water skills that can prevent tragic incidents of childhood drowning. "The LA TRI Club has made an impact on kids all over the southland," says LA TRI Club board member Larry Turkheimer. "Now, once again, we have stepped forward to help an organization have the ability to give kids the opportunity to swim, exercise, and most importantly, feel accomplished." The mission of Coast2Coast Swim is simple; heighten awareness of the fact that drowning is the leading cause of death of children 14 and younger in California. 100% of the proceeds from the yearly Coast2Coast Swim Challenge pay for children's swim lessons in Los Angeles.

LA TRI Club board member Larry Turkheimer was inspired to donate to One with the Water® when he learned about the impact of budget cuts on physical education programs: "I was approached by swim coach Kenneth Rippetoe of One with the Water® to see if the Coast2Coast Swim Challenge would be interested in supporting their swimming programs. He told me that members of the Mar Vista Family Center (MVFC) had 40 children ready to learn to swim." Head coach Kenneth Rippetoe of One with the Water® adds, "Receiving this generous grant has been essential for us to continue our mission to provide swimming lessons in Los Angeles for kids of low income families. We are very fortunate for the support of the Coast2Coast Swim Challenge and the LA Tri Club and appreciate the impact that they are having on needy kids all over Los Angeles."

Grants and donations to One with the Water® pay exclusively for pool space, insurance, and instruction for kids and families with limited financial means. Especially during the nation's budget crisis, many schools now lack the financial resources, personnel and facilities to provide athletic programs or physical therapy for children with special needs. One with the Water® aims to fill that need, with specially-trained swim instructors and a nimble, low-overhead, non-profit model of operation.

For more details visit http://onewiththewater.org/