Josh the Otter Water Safety & Literacy Project!
The Rotary project’s goal is to educate children with a fun and simple message:
TO STAY AWAY FROM WATER UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT.
The “Josh the Baby Otter” book was created by the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation to help children comprehend and remember this important message. Ultimately, Rotary want to create a water safety behavior for all children that will be passed on from generation to generation.
Help Rotarians spread the life saving message of water safety by reading the book to children and by providing “Josh the Baby Otter” books for every child to take home. Together we CAN save lives!
Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates and most drownings occur in home swimming pools. Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1-4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies. Among those 1-14, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.
What factors influence drowning risk?
Lack of Swimming Ability: Many adults and children report that they can’t swim. Research has shown that participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children aged 1 to 4 years.
Lack of Barriers: Barriers, such as pool fencing, prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness. A four-sided isolation fence (separating the pool area from the house and yard) reduces a child’s risk of drowning 83% compared to three-sided property-line fencing.
Lack of Close Supervision: Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water (such as bathtubs, swimming pools, buckets), and even in the presence of lifeguards.
Location: People of different ages drown in different locations. For example, most children ages 1-4 drown in home swimming pools. The percentage of drownings in natural water settings, including lakes, rivers and oceans, increases with age. More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among those 15 years and older occurred in natural water settings.
