Memphis offers 575 scholarships for swim lessons

The city of Memphis will offer 575 scholarships to teach people how to swim at public pools this summer, Mayor Jim Strickland announced Tuesday.

Beginning May 30, people 5 years and older who receive public assistance and live in the city limits can apply for swim and water safety scholarships, which reduces the cost of swim lessons per session from $25 to $5 for children and from $48 to $20 for adults.

The city will offer the scholarships at the Hickory Hill and Bickford indoor pools and at outdoor pools Westwood, Riverview, Ed Rice, Douglass, Gaisman, Raleigh, Lester and Willow. This year, city pools will open between Memorial Day weekend and June 10. All pools will close July 29.

“I talk a lot about trying to do more for young people, and this is just another example of giving young people something productive to do,” Strickland said at the Hickory Hill Aquatic Center. “When you have swim lessons, you become more self-confident, you’re a safer swimmer, you can have more fun in the pools. It’s really a win for the city of Memphis.”

Black and Hispanic and Latino children are three times more likely to drown than white children, according to research by the University of Memphis that was shared at the announcement.

Splash Mid-South, a water safety initiative headquartered at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, funded 325 of the scholarships and the American Red Cross funded the remaining 250.