Teach a Kid to Swim…
The saying goes that if you teach a man to fish, then he’ll eat for a lifetime. But what happens when you teach a kid to swim?
Over the summer, we partnered with our local YMCA to provide swim lessons for all of our elementary-aged children. Our Executive Director, Laura, drove them out to the YMCA each morning and got in the pool with a YMCA lifeguard, and they taught the basics.
Several of these kids had never been swimming before and quickly got excited about the chance to do something so quintessentially SUMMER. All of our children who participated graduated from these lessons with the knowledge of how to float, do basic strokes, safely jump into the pool, hold their breath underwater, and they got approved to swim in the deep end at the YMCA.
Weeks later, our Ministry Assistant, Sharon, took two of the boys swimming at the YMCA for the afternoon. Daryl and Chase were thrilled to get back in the pool! Daryl, who is nine years-old, noticed a younger child struggling nearby and quickly jumped into action teaching them how to swim and showing them the basics.
Sharon watched this happen for a moment and then noticed the younger child’s mother also watching. They shared a sweet moment while they observed one child selflessly sharing their time in the pool to help a stranger. Daryl was so proud to have the skills to help another child!
These are the moments of growth we live for here at Calvary. Watching our children blossom into kind humans with a heart for others - it’s easy to get caught up in the challenges they’ve been through… but in the moments when joy wins, we celebrate.
