Recently New York state Senator Peter Harckham visited the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) in Mount Kisco to present $100,000 and a proclamation recognizing the BGCNW Marlins Swim Team, which received a USA Swimming Bronze Level status for teaching more than 65,000 children to be water safe.
Harckham said, “This is an incredibly inclusive program where kids are learning to swim who would never have had the opportunity if not for all of your work.” In the U.S. drowning is the second cause of accidental death for children under age 6.
Long- standing board member, volunteer and donor Bonnie Tisi (Trotta), for whom the pool facility is named, said, “”¦All children must be water safe, develop an appreciation for the fun of swimming and it is an invaluable tool to serve as a pathway to secondary education.”
The BGCNW Marlins Swim Team includes 250 athletes and is an ethnically diverse program with more than 52% of athletes identifying as nonwhite. The coaches are committed to offering age-appropriate training, geared toward challenging each athlete to personal growth both in and out of the pool. For the first time in its 52-year history, the Marlins have earned USA Swimming Bronze Medal Club status.
Established in 1939, BGCNW is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving youth, ages 6 months to 18 years. Its mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those in most need, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, caring citizens. This is done through high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs.
