SHOREVIEW, Minn. - Instructors at the YMCA in Shoreview are teaching kids how to swim and potentially save a life.
For the past four weeks, 40 high schoolers at Roseville Public Schools, who are also immigrants, have been learning how to swim at the “Y”.
On Tuesday, they received their fifth and final lesson. It is important, for these students, because experts say many children of color, as well as immigrants, don't take swimming lessons. Organizations like the "Y" want to change that through their "Safety Around Water Program".
"There are more and more immigrants that come into our state every day and in all different areas of the Twin Cities. Thanks to funding from Abbey's Hope and Delta Airlines -- they are the ones that make this come alive and happen. Without them, we wouldn't have this high school here," said Shannon Kinstler, Aquatics Director at YMCA.
In the end, the goal is for everyone to stay safe and have fun in and around the water. Several businesses donated goggles, swim suits and towels for the teens in this program.
If you want to help, you can donate directly to the YMCA, or to organizations like Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation that funds programs dedicated to water safety.