To promote water safety and literacy, Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary partnered with the drowning prevention nonprofit, the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation, to bring the Josh the Otter Water Safety and Awareness Project to RH Dana Elementary School classrooms.
This year is the local rotary club’s third year of partnership with the foundation to share the book, Josh the Baby Otter, which aims to teach children to “stay away from water unless with an adult and to always swim with a buddy.”
After 2-year-old Joshua Collingsworth died in June 2008 as a result of drowning, his parents Blake and Kathy Collingsworth have worked to reduce the number of drowning deaths around the world.
Through the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation, Blake and Kathy Collingsworth created an early childhood education and water safety awareness program aimed to keep children safe around all bodies of water to prevent similar accidents from occurring
According to the International Life Saving Federation, 1.2 million people worldwide die from drowning every year.
The Josh the Otter Water Safety and Awareness Project is dedicated to teaching young children about water safety through Blake Collingsworth’s book, Josh the Baby Otter.
The book has now been translated into 12 languages with the foundation and its partners distributing more than 500,000 books to reach classrooms, community centers, zoos, aquatic centers and childcare facilities around the world.
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