On Monday morning, June 1, the inaugural group of preschool kids of Murfreesboro police officers and Murfreesboro firefighters will begin receiving free swim lessons courtesy of Howard's Hope. The Flying Fish program is a 2 - week course which teaches water survival skills to non-swimming children ages 3 - to 6 - years old and will be taught by the aquatics staff at the Rutherford County Family YMCA.

According to data compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children less than 4-years old and is the second leading cause of unintentional death in children less than 14 - years old. Additionally, research has shown there is an eighty-eight percent reduction in the drowning rate of preschoolers who have received formal swim lessons. Once the children of MPD police officers and MFRD firefighters have completed the Flying Fish program, Howard's Hope will focus on providing water survival training to Rutherford county juveniles from low-income households. Historically, they are the most at-risk group for drowning.

About Howard's Hope: Howard's Hope, Inc. is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its mission is to provide disadvantaged youth in middle Tennessee with access to programs in the areas of health, education, and recreation with a special emphasis on water survival training and aquatic safety. It was founded by a retired airline pilot and his wife after they witnessed a frightening swimming pool incident involving their 4 - year old daughter.

CONTACT INFO:

Howard's Hope, Inc. Steve Reeves

2255 Memorial Blvd., #11191 Cell: (281) 948-2117

Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Email: admin@howardshope.org

www.howardshope.org