Valerie Cassity
Special to the Sun

Last Friday, The Community Outreach Swim Program at South Fork Middle School ended with a visit from the Kern River Valley Search and Rescue, who taught the kids additional water safety tips, including what to do if they are stuck in the river. The program had two separate two week sessions in which children from ages 0-13 learned basic swim skills and water safety.

The Red Cross certified swim program was put together through a combined effort between Jeff Bogart, South Fork Union School District, and Dr. Holly Spohn-Gross. The purpose of the program was to provide swimming programs at low or little cost, provide water safety education, reduce the number of accidental drownings, establish a strong swim team, and create community involvement and pride. “When you live next to a dangerous body of water without any water safety programs, that’s foolish,” said Dr. Spohn-Gross, “I want to prevent any future drownings, that’s why I’m doing this.”

The "Mommy and Me" swimming session at the South Fork pool is a big hit with Kristin Hacker and daughter Aspen. Friday was the last day of the summer program.

The 2008 program was a big success, with 89 participants taking part this year, as opposed to 40 in 2007. In addition, the fundraising of Dr. Spohn-Gross allowed 26 students to participate this year through the scholarship program, which provides both the cost of the swim program ($60 for a two-week session) and transportation to the classes, which took place Monday-Friday in two separate sessions, 4-4:45 and 5-5:45 p.m.

Dr. Spohn-Gross headed up the fundraising effort, and with the help of Derek Tito, who helped craft a letter of intent, raised $15,714 for the swim program through grants, community groups, and individuals. Dr. Spohn-Gross, who initiated the program to ensure water safety was offered to every child in the community, gave several presentations to a variety of groups in the Kern Valley in order to raise the necessary funds, and hopes to expand the program even further in 2009. “I want to give this program to everyone, not just the privileged,” said Dr. Spohn-Gross, “Everyone has the right to learn to swim, whether or not they can afford it.”

She is also hoping to involve Kern Valley Solar to install solar heating for the pool to reduce costs and make the program more environmentally friendly. While Dr. Spohn-Gross was the initiator of the swim program, she is quick to point out that it was a collaborative effort of the community for the good of all. “I couldn’t have done this without Robin Shive [of South Fork Union School District] and all of her support. If it wasn’t for someone with such open-mindedness it couldn’t have happened,” she said, “Also, the skill of Jeff Bogart for helping to make it a credible program; this wouldn’t have been a reality without his expertise.”

Jeff Bogart is a Red Cross-certified instructor trainer, who swam competitively throughout his college years at Bridewater State University, MA. Bogart was instrumental in getting the Kern Valley swim program off the ground by training the swim instructors and lifeguards, as their only other option was to commute to Ridgecrest for the two 10-session, 32-hour courses necessary, which was not feasible. Bogart himself was trained through the Red Cross in both Kern County and at the Red Cross facility in Pasadena, and has served as a mentor for the young swim instructors throughout the summer. “We have a dire need for aquatic knowledge, which we have little of although we have the most need for it in the County. It’s something we have to pick up the slack on; it seems we get a reminder it seems every two weeks of why it’s so important,” said Bogart.

Both Dr. Spohn-Gross and Bogart are very encouraged by the wonderful response from the community, both through fundraising efforts and the growth of the number of participants in the program. They have already received $5,000 from Southern California Edison to continue the program in 2009, as well as agreements from several local groups to support the program next year. “It was trial and error this summer; we tested the waters, but couldn’t take any risk,” said Bogart, “Since we have discovered that we could fill the classes with little advertising, we’re going to make it bigger and better next year.”