June 12, 2019

The Beaufort–Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry Renews Longstanding Commitment to End Childhood Drowning with YMCA Swim Lessons Program

100 scholarships for swim lessons to be awarded to children in high-risk communities in Beaufort and Jasper counties

[PORT ROYAL SC; JUNE 10, 2019] –  As part of the Y’s commitment to reduce drowning rates and keep kids safe in and around the water, the Beaufort–Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry will provide scholarships for swim instruction and water safety to children from underserved communities in Beaufort and Jasper counties in 2019.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fatal drowning is the second-leading cause of death for children ages one to 14 years old. In ethnically diverse communities, the youth drowning rate is two to three times higher than the national average, according to a USA Swimming study. Additionally 64 percent of African-American children, 45 percent of Latino children, and 40 percent of Caucasian children have no or low swimming ability.

“Educating children how to be safe around water is just as important as teaching them to look both ways before they cross the street,” said Lou Bergen, Aquatics Director at the Wardle Family YMCA. “The Y teaches children of all ages and backgrounds that water should be fun, not feared, and this practice not only saves lives it builds confidence.”

The Y has been a leader in providing swim lessons and water safety for more than 100 years, pioneering group swim lessons in 1906. The Wardle Family YMCA continues to help youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, so they can be healthy, confident and secure in the water. There are a variety of programs to choose, including:

  • Lap swimming
  • (BYAC) Tiger Sharks Swim Team with 3 levels of teams members (Shark Pups, TigerSharks Level 1, & TigerSharks Level 2)
  • Water aerobics group exercises classes
  • Fluid Fitness (work out ON the water!)
  • Aqua Camp (specialty summer camp)
  • Lifeguard Training
  • Masters Swim
  • 100-Mile Swim Club
  • Scuba

To learn more about Wardle Family YMCA swim programs including lessons, swim team, and Aqua Camp, please contact Lou Bergen at 843-522-9622 ext. 236(l.bergen@wardlefamilyymca.org)

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May 10, 2019

Waterproofing Kids May Be Impossible, but the Wardle Family YMCA Can Help Make Them Safer Around Water

May is National Water Safety Month

[PORT ROYAL SC; MAY 7, 2019] – As the season turns from spring to summer, the Wardle Family YMCA (1801 Richmond Ave., Port Royal) encourages children and parents in the Lowcountry to explore the many benefits of swimming, while also keeping safety top of mind. In Y swim programs, participants can enjoy water sports, enhance or learn new techniques, meet new friends and develop confidence, while also learning safety skills that can save lives.

“It’s never too early to get children involved in swimming—it’s an important for safety reasons, but also a great way to keep active and healthy,” said Lou Bergen, Aquatics Director, Wardle Family YMCA. “In fact, newer studies show that children as young as 1-year-old can benefit from formal swim lessons. There are so many options for parents, but the best place to start is by learning basic water safety skills that helps get kids familiar with the water that often continues with swim lessons and competitive swim programs and can even lead to a career.”

As part of National Water Safety Month in May, the Beaufort-Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry encourages parents to take an active role in fostering a relationship between their children and swimming—beginning with water safety. The following are safety tips to practice when in and around the water:

  • Only swim when and where there is a lifeguard on duty; never swim alone
  • Adults should constantly and actively watch their children
  • Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket
  • Parents or guardians of young children should be within an arm’s reach
  • Children and adults should not engage in breath holding activities

In addition to learning lifesaving water safety skills, swimming is a great way to increase physical activity. Swimming also motivates children to strive for self-improvement, teaches goal orientation and cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem.

Kids are not the only age-group that should learn to swim. The Lowcountry is 51% marsh, river and ocean – the ‘land’ is quite literally surrounded by water – so it is obvious that learning how to swim well is a necessity for adults as well as kids. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of adults in the United States can’t swim the length of a pool, which puts them at risk of being 1 of the 10 people who drown every day in the U.S.

In 2018 the Wardle Family Y taught over 7,000 swim sessions to local kids and adults, over half for free or at a reduced cost. This is made possible through donations to the YMCA Annual Scholarship campaign, the Y Learn to Swim program, grants and funds raised at the Beaufort River Swim, which is coming up on Saturday May 18, 2019. This 3.2–mile competitive water swim and 1-mile fun swim is now in its 13th year and is the only open water swim in Beaufort County.

As a leading nonprofit committed to youth development, the Y has been a leader in providing swim lessons and water safety locally for more than 23 years. The Wardle Family YMCA continues to help youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, so they can be healthy, confident and secure in the water. There are a variety of programs to choose, including:

  • Age group lessons including parent/child and private swim lessons
  • Lap swimming
  • (BYAC) Tiger Sharks Swim Team with 3 levels of teams members (Shark Pups, TigerSharks Level 1, & TigerSharks Level 2)
  • Water aerobics group exercises classes
  • Fluid Fitness (work out ON the water!)
  • Aqua Camp (specialty summer camp)
  • Lifeguard Training
  • Masters Swim
  • 100-Mile Swim Club
  • Scuba

To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate, financial assistance is available. To learn more about Wardle Family YMCA  swim programs, please contact Lou Bergen at 843-522-9622 ext. 236(l.bergen@wardlefamilyymca.org) To learn more about the Beaufort River Swim, contact Denice Fanning, event director: 843-522-9622 ext. 223 (d.fanning@wardlefamilymca.org)

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March 6, 2019

BYAC Tigersharks Compete at the 2019 YSSC CYSL Winter Swimming Championship

 

 

 

 

 

 

(March 5, 2019) Port Royal, SC: The 2019 SC YSSC CYSL Winter Swimming Championship were held March 2-3 at the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan, SC. Twenty-seven BYAC Tigersharks swimmers qualified and competed in relay and individual swimming events at the meet.

BYAC swimmers placed in the top ten in 48 Individual events and swam their best times in 78 events; improving their times by as much as 12 seconds.

In individual scoring, BYAC had three swimmers earn High Point Awards in their age groups; Lily Bostwick earned 1st place in the Girls 13-14 age group, Sovann Shook placed 3rd and Jacob Mansker earned 2nd place in the Boys 8 & Under age group.

The 8 & Under Boys Relay Team of Canyon Ulrich, Mack Hipp, Jacob Mansker and Sovann Shook earned 3rd Place in the 100 Yard Medley Relay event and the team of Finn Geistkemper, Canyon Ulrich, Mack Hipp, and Jacob Mansker placed 3rd in the 100 Yard Freestyle Relay event.

The Boys 10 & Under Relay Team of Sean Lyons, Sovann Shook, Tyson Curtis, and Killian Geistkemper earned 6th place in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. Lily Bostwick, Melanie Schiller, Grace Shirley and Brooke Cushman placed 6th in the Girls 11-18- 200 Yard Medley Relay event.

Six swimmers are going on to the SC Upper Southeast Regional YMCA Short Course Championship Meet in mid-March, including Olivia Byrne who qualified in 9 events.

Congratulations to all the BYAC swimmers! The BYAC Tiger Sharks swim year ’round.

Interested swimmers should contact the Wardle Family YMCA located at 1801 Richmond Avenue, Port Royal or call 843.522.9622. Scholarship assistance is available for qualified applicants.

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December 26, 2018

BEAUFORT BEACH BALL FUNDRAISER & AUCTION SET FOR JANUARY 19, 2019

Please join the Wardle Family YMCA on January 19th at the Walsh Palmetto Room at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Lady’s Island for the Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction presented by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Doors open at 6 pm for music and dancing with Deas Guyz, silent auction, golf cart raffle, heavy hors d’oeuvres and full tikki bar.

Event tickets are $65 each or $120 per couple and $75 each at the door. They can be purchased at the YMCA in Port Royal (1801 Richmond Avenue) or online: beaufort-jasperymca.org. This year’s golf cart raffle was supplied by Sutcliffe Golf Cars and is a 2009 Yamaha model with head lights, flip back seat, new tires and batteries and comes in cheerful yellow. Golf cart raffle tickets are on sale now at the Y and at the event for $25 each and 5/$100. The winner will be chosen at the Beaufort Beach Ball on the 19th, but you do not need to be present to win.

The Beaufort Beach Ball volunteer committee has been working for over a year to throw the biggest, most-bodacious beach bash this side of Palm Beach! This year’s silent auction includes many wonderful items – large and small – from a complete 3-ton HVAC system to a trip to the California wine country to restaurant and spa gift certificates, a custom crafted live edge walnut coffee table, sports equipment, airline tickets, Walt Disney World Park Hopper tickets, artwork and more! The online silent auction will open for preview January 4, 2019 (visit beaufort-jasperymca.org) and online bidding will open Jan. 14.  Bidding will close at 9:30pm on January 19 and winning bidders can pick up their item(s) during the Beaufort Beach Ball or at the Y in Port Royal on Monday, January 21 starting at 11 am.

Committee chair Dolores Fuller adds, “We’re transforming the Walsh Palmetto Room into a sophisticated beachside cabana.  And we’re thrilled to have Deas Guyz as our entertainment! Deas Guyz is all about having fun and dancing, so we anticipate lots of folks out on the dance floor. We will also have heavy appetizer stations and dessert table – our food is being catered by the Chef Greg Lightener and the CATE program at Battery Creek High School. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to enjoy their cuisine you know it is superlative and if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat!”

This event is the only capital fundraiser for the Wardle Family Y and all proceeds will go toward an extremely important video surveillance system upgrade for the Wardle Family YMCA.

Kaylin Garst, YMCA Executive Branch Director says, “The safety of our members is a primary focus for the Y and this upgrade will provide security for everyone using the Y and especially for our children that attend Discovery Kids Preschool, summer camp and afterschool programs. Our facility must be safe, efficient and aesthetically pleasing or we cannot effectively run our programs. This means the Y’s positive impact on our community may diminish, thus we raise funds for capital improvements with this event.”

The Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction Committee wishes to thank presenting sponsor Bank of America Merrill Lynch, bar sponsor Carolina Air, Inc. and food sponsor First Federal Bank for their support. Additional thanks to the following sponsors:

Publix Super Markets Charities, Dean Hewitt, Cross Community Church, Lowcountry Insurance Services, Inc., May River Dermatology, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Ralph& Dolores Fuller, Hargray, Fred & Everette Kuhn, Madison’s Market, Carmen & Don Meyer, and Republic Services.

Amy & Will Achurch-Ballenger Realty, Beaufort Dog, Beaufort Janitorial Services of the Lowcountry, Betty Laurent Photography, Gary & Jan Caron, Gilbert Law Firm, J&J’s Barber Shop, Palmetto Vending, Planting Roots Hydroseeding, Saulisbury Business Machines.

In-Kind Sponsors: Adams Outdoor Advertising, Amazing Event Rentals, Battery Creek High School Cate Program, Lowcountry Radio Group, Murr Printing, New South Shirts, Salt Marsh Brewing Co., Sutcliffe Golf Cars, The Island News.

Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction presented by Bank of America Merrill Lynch

  • Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 from 6 pm – 11 pm
  • Walsh Palmetto Room at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Lady’s Island
  • Tickets: $65 each; 2/$120; $75 at the door
  • Purchase at the Y or online: beaufort-jasperymca.org
  • Golf Cart Raffle tickets on sale now $25 each & 5/$100 at the Y or at the event
  • Silent Auction opens for previews January 2, 2019!beaufort-jasperymca.org

For more information on the Beaufort Beach Ball stop by the Y in Port Royal, call 843-522-9622 or visit: beaufort-jasperymca.org

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