YMCA Receives $120K Grant for Water Safety Initiative

The Buehler Family Foundation has generously provided a grant of $120,000 to the North Suburban YMCA to support “Two Seconds Too Long,” the Y’s signature program to prevent drowning deaths in children by teaching kids to be safe around water. This capacity-building grant will provide funds necessary to ramp up and engage the resources and improvements necessary to develop, recruit and provide free swim lessons to all qualifying second graders in the Y’s 15-community service area.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the NSYMCA has expanded its comprehensive aquatics program with a proactive water safety initiative targeting children in second grade. Shockingly, drowning is the most common cause of death for children ages one to four, and the second most common cause of accidental death for ages five to 14. The new Two Seconds Too Long initiative addresses this safety crisis head-on, providing water readiness evaluations for second-graders, as well as free instruction for children who do not meet minimum safety standards. The program started with a beta test in partnership with Eugene Field Elementary in Wheeling, Illinois, and will be rolled out to several other Wheeling and Northbrook schools.

The donation by the Buehler Family Foundation creates the opportunity for rapid expansion of the water safety initiative, a centerpiece goal of the Y’s 50th anniversary celebration and fundraising campaign.

“Our 50th Anniversary is the perfect time to jumpstart programs and improvements that will be vital to our Y’s next 50 years,” notes Howard Schultz, NSYMCA President/CEO. “We are extremely grateful to the Buehler Family Foundation for their leadership in helping us reach our goals. This donation will provide life-saving swim instruction to children in need, and also encourage other leaders to participate in the Y’s meaningful anniversary initiatives.”

“The YMCA’s concern for the safety of children throughout our community inspired this donation,” says A.C. Buehler III, President of the Buehler Family Foundation. “Swimming skills are essential for both children and adults to prevent unnecessary deaths, and it is imperative that we reach as many people as possible at an early age. We are proud to be part of this innovative and ambitious approach that will make a difference in both the safety and quality of children’s lives.”

For more information about the North Suburban YMCA’s 50th anniversary and the Two Seconds Too Long program, visit NSYMCA.org.

Photo Caption: (Back row, L to R) NSYMCA Board Chairman Michael Redstone, Buehler Family Foundation President A.C. Buehler III, and NSYMCA CEO/President Howard Schultz with young swimming students at the North Suburban YMCA. The Buehler Family Foundation donated $120K to support an innovative water safety initiative launched at the Y.