Hope Floats @ Salem Swim
About Hope Floats
Giving Back & Saving Lives
Hope Floats is a 501c3 national nonprofit organization that reviews scholarship applications and distributes scholarships for swimming lessons to kids in local communities. It was founded in 2016 by Cindy Tonnesen, owner of SwimKids in the Washington DC area.
Like many swim school owners, Cindy encountered many families who could not afford the life saving skill of swim lessons for their children, nor could her company afford scholarships for them all. She was committed to founding a simple, sustainable way for swim schools to provide unlimited scholarships for high-quality swim lessons in local communities, and Hope Floats was born. Hope Floats currently partners with 139 swim schools in 25 states, including Salem Swim.
• Make a donation. You can make a difference by making a one-time or monthly donation to Hope Floats @ Salem Swim by clicking here.
• Start a Facebook or Instagram Fundraiser. Follow the instructions here to set up your own fundraiser for your birthday or any day you choose and help save the life of a local child by giving the gift of swim. Please be sure to use the words “Salem Swim” in the title of your fundraiser to ensure the funds go into our local scholarship fund - the "Salem Swim Bucket".
• Look for other fundraising opportunities at Salem Swim, take part, and share the word. Your actions help a child living in poverty learn to save their own life. Could there be a bigger blessing than that?
Did You Know?
Drowning Is the Leading Cause of Accidental Death for Children Ages 5 & Under
The equivalent of 13 school buses full of children dies each year in the US alone as a result of drowning. While drowning does NOT discriminate, statistics tell us that children who are poor are more likely to be sitting on these buses. But the blessing is, drowning is preventable.
We know the risk of drowning is reduced by 88% when a child participates in formal swimming lessons. By combining our resources, we can connect disadvantaged children with high-quality swim schools and educate their families on how to keep their children safer. Hope Floats allows us to help ALL kids in our community, regardless of their parent’s ability to pay.
How It Works
* 100% of funds raised go straight to scholarships - Salem Swim covers all administrative costs.
Together, we conduct fundraisers and send all money raised to Hope Floats @ Salem Swim. Hope Floats places the funds into a “Salem Swim Bucket” that’s designated for our community. We send families in need of scholarships to complete an online application. For families that qualify, Hope Floats sends a scholarship for 3 months of lessons, using our funds.
What's Expected of Qualifying Families
If this criteria is met, families are able to re-apply for the scholarship until their child has learned to swim.
- Contribute Financially Toward Their Lessons
- Attend Lessons Consistently
- Complete a Survey Following Their 3 Month Scholarship
