It’s hard to think about water safety when the weather is cold, but there’s a staggering number of children in our area who don’t know how to swim. Howard’s Hope is here to bring that number down. Howard’s Hope, a non-profit charity dedicated to providing youth in Middle Tennessee with access to programs in the areas of health, education and recreation with an emphasis on water survival training and aquatic safety, offers two aquatics programs. The Flying Fish Program provides the funds necessary for children from economically disadvantaged households to participate in formal swim lessons. The Angelfish program is for parents who can pay for their child to have the formal swim lessons as well as sponsor a child in the Flying Fish Program — there’s a minimum donation of $170, which covers the cost of one registered child plus lessons for a disadvantaged child. Sessions are Saturdays, Jan. 9 and Feb. 6 — each runs for four consecutive Saturday mornings and you can choose either the 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. or 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. class. Lessons are held at Middle Tennessee State University Campus Recreation Center located at 1848 Blue Raider Drive, Murfreesboro. Visit howardshope.org or learn more.
