Swim Lessons Close to Home Save Lives

No family should ever have to live through the near-drowning of a child.

Fayetteville mom Amanda Blevins experienced a terrible moment her family will never forget. They were at a pool with their four children when a stranger called out, “There’s a boy under the water!” Her husband dove down, pulled the child up, and revived him. It was their own son.

He survived. But the lesson was painfully clear: their family decided they all had to know how to swim really well. Those skills take practice, and practice requires access.

Right now, Fayetteville families who want consistent swim lessons often have to drive to places like the Jones Center in Springdale, or even to Rogers, because Fayetteville doesn’t have a year-round public pool. That distance becomes a barrier, making it harder for kids to learn and keep their skills strong.

On March 3, Fayetteville voters will decide whether to continue an existing one-cent sales tax to raise $335 million for city improvements, without raising the tax rate. Question 8 would fund a new indoor and outdoor aquatic recreation center so more kids can learn to swim, and families can practice year-round.

Amanda has added, “Hard story to share, but this boy of ours continues to amaze me and even swims for FHS now! Fayetteville needs a year round aquatic center for families learning to swim and even for the FHS swim team who has to pay to use a private pool! Feel free to share my story, praying it helps so many others not have to go through what we did.”

Please watch and share. If this story prompts even one family to prioritize swim lessons, it matters.