The ZAC Foundation Selects Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield to Host ZAC Camp on June 27 - 30

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield is one of 20 Clubs chosen as part of the fourth year of a partnership between The ZAC Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to expand water safety programming.

Stoneham/Wakefield MA June 27, 2016 – To continue the remarkable legacy of 6-year-old Zachary Archer Cohn who drowned in a drain entrapment in 2007, Conn.-based water safety organization The ZAC Foundation has teamed up with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield to bring the Foundation’s award-winning ZAC Camp to more than 100 local five to nine-year-olds through its grant program.

The Stoneham & Wakefield ZAC Camp is part of a national four-year-old partnership initiative undertaken by The ZAC Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to bring lifesaving water-safety skills to thousands of Club members across the country. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield was selected through a rigorous application process and chosen based on its commitment to advancing water safety locally.

“Each year we are overjoyed to see Zachary’s legacy live on in each and every Boys & Girls Club member who attends ZAC Camp,” said Karen Cohn, co-founder of The ZAC Foundation. “It is incredibly special to bring our program to Stoneham and Wakefield with the Boys & Girls Club to equip a new batch of campers and their families with the tools to live safer lives around water.”

The ZAC Camp program combines in-pool swimming lessons, safety classes with First Responders, and classroom curriculum based on tenets of water safety taught in a children’s book co-authored by Zachary’s parents – The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim. By week’s end campers are equipped with critical tools to lead them on the path to safe swimming, including: fundamental stroke training, emergency preparedness and response, and basic lifesaving techniques.

The 2016 Stoneham and Wakefield ZAC Camp will host campers Monday, June 27 through Thursday, June 30 from 9:00a.m-12:00p.m. Open to campers, family, and friends, the ZAC Camp will conclude with a special awards ceremony that will take place Thursday, June 30 at 11:30 a.m. with special guests.

“Our Club is incredibly grateful to The ZAC Foundation for bringing ZAC Camp to our community. We at The Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield are dedicated to providing our members with important skills to help with their growth and development, and ZAC Camp gives our campers vital safety information to keep them safe in and around any body of water,” said Adam Rodgers, executive director of The Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause in children 5-14. Risk of drowning is highest in minority populations with the fatal drowning rate almost three times that of Caucasian children. Many of these deaths are preventable if proper water safety measures are taken. ZAC Camp aims to reduce these statistics through community engagement and education.

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About The ZAC Foundation
The ZAC Foundation was established in 2008 by Brian and Karen Cohn after the loss of their 6-year-old son Zachary Archer Cohn in a pool drain entrapment in their backyard swimming pool. Through education and advocacy, the Foundation is dedicated to preparing children and their families for a lifetime of water safety. To learn more about The ZAC Foundation, connect with us on Facebook and thezacfoundation.com.

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