NYC Gazette

Speaker Carl Heastie continued his annual statewide tour today, joining Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato at Ocean Park Apartments in Far Rockaway to visit a free swim class offered by Rising Tide Effect. Earlier this year, the Assembly secured $25,000 to support Rising Tide Effect’s work in providing free water safety education and swimming lessons to the community.

“Learning to swim is a critical life skill that remains out of reach for too many New Yorkers,” said Speaker Heastie. “I’m honored to join Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato to see the incredible work Rising Tide Effect is doing to ensure socioeconomic status has no effect on a child’s ability to swim.”

“I want to thank Speaker Heastie for joining me today to see first-hand the life-saving impact Rising Tide Effect is having on our community,” said Assemblymember Pheffer Amato. “Drowning is the number one cause of death for young children and I remain committed to supporting all efforts to reduce these tragic incidents and provide all children the tools they need to swim safely.”

Speaker Heastie and Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato joined Rising Tide Effect Founder and CEO Kate Krause at the free swimming lessons offered at Ocean Park Apartments, an affordable housing community in Far Rockaway. The $25,000 in funding passed earlier this year supports the organization’s mission to provide free swimming lessons, water safety education, and lifeguard training to eliminate death by drowning in underserved communities.

Nearly 80 percent of children from low-income families have little or no swimming ability, and drowning remains the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5 and 14.