We created this program with several goals in mind:
- Teach special needs kids how to swim. We believe that competent swimming abilities and an appreciation of water safety are important skills for all children and especially special needs to children to possess.
- Teach a life-long appreciation of swimming. Swimming provides excellent muscular development and cardiovascular exercise. It can be a life-long activity, and can be practiced alone or in a group environment. Special needs kids need to have access to regular athletic pursuits that they can continue to practice as they transition to adulthood.
- Provide a unique “peer to peer” environment for special needs kids to interact with one another, as well as with other kids their age. This is the heart of the Agoura Stingrays program. Our 1 on 1 structure provides a forum for our athletes and our volunteers to develop their social and interpersonal communication skills. This translates into our special needs kids being more confident and comfortable interacting with other kids their age, while simultaneously providing an opportunity for our volunteers to become comfortable interacting with special needs kids.
- Provide our special needs community with enhanced access to swimming facilities. A long term goal of our program is to enhance our local swimming facility. We are currently limited by facility size, competing uses and a lack of handicapped access. Upgrading our facility would enable an expansion of our program as well as to broaden the scope of potential participants to include those with physical handicaps.
With the support of local philanthropies, our volunteers and our community, we are turning this vision into a reality.
