Charleston County Parks and The Parklands Foundation present the “Swim For It” Campaign
Initiative raising funds for drowning prevention
[CHARLESTON – June 28, 2017] – The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) and the Parklands Foundation have created a new campaign to raise money for drowning prevention, which includes swimming instruction, construction and maintenance of pools in three rural areas of Charleston County.
The Parklands Foundation, a non-profit component of CCPRC, is launching a campaign called “Swim For It” to raise funds for its Genesis Project. The Parklands Foundation is setting up voluntary donation sites at Charleston County waterparks this summer, which include Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark at Wannamaker County Park in North Charleston; Splash Zone at James Island County Park; and Splash Island at Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant. Donations will be used in the construction, maintenance, and ongoing pool operational expenses in each of the rural areas of Johns Island, McClellanville and Hollywood/Ravenel.
A nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization, The Parklands Foundation was created in May 1990 by CCPRC to generate funding for the continued growth and development of the county park system, and to support increased leisure opportunities for residents. The Swim For It campaign is a part of the Genesis Project, established in 2014 after the tragic drowning of a 13-year-old boy named Genesis Holmes. The project’s vision is to eliminate the number of drowning victims in Charleston County by providing the community with access to pools for swimming lessons, water safety classes, recreational programing and leisure activities.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning; of those, two are children ages 14 or younger. Fatal drowning is the fifth-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for children 14 and younger.
For more information or to make a donation to the Genesis Project, visit www.TheParklandsFoundation.org.
Charleston County waterparks are open daily until mid-August and then weekends only until Labor Day weekend. For more information on CCPRC’s waterparks, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.
