Social Impact Statement
Kenneth Rippetoe, founder of One with the Water swim school, has been at the forefront of offering competitive swim training and year-round swim instruction to thousands of students since 1985. After he moved to Southern California in 2006, Kenneth started One with the Water®, a 501(c) (3) non-profit swim school, to extend outreach in Los Angeles, which has since expanded to other states and areas around the country.
We offer Special Needs Swim Lessons for persons with mental or physical challenges, including Service-Disabled Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. We also offer need-based scholarships to underprivileged children and both children and adults with disabilities. Our lessons are designed to help swimmers learn and improve skills, maintain physical fitness, and achieve success. The approach we use comes with a 100% success rate, guaranteeing that students of all ages will master an efficient, fluid and beautiful swimming technique, regardless of their athletic skills, flexibility or body-type. We will not turn down anyone who wants to learn to swim.
One with the Water swim school strives to be the leading swim school in the nation by providing the absolute best customer service and the most highly-trained instructors in the industry. Our unique, award-winning swim classes are staffed by instructors with a lifetime of competitive swimming experience. They are the most seasoned and respected in the industry. Our coaches understand how to strike the balance between fun for their students and safety.
One with the Water’s approach to swimming lessons goes beyond individual capacity building to include investments in local and national partnerships. By working closely with dedicated community members, such as early childhood educators, teachers, and staff from other local therapy organizations, we continue to build strong and lasting relationships within the local communities to ensure long-term sustainability of our work. We meet the needs of any ethnic or religious group and are highly sensitive toward our very diverse community. Our top priority is to reach as many people who would not otherwise be able to afford swimming lessons and give them the life-skill of swimming.
Swimming is not only the healthiest form of exercise, but it is also one of the most affordable and accessible forms of exercise in the world. Fostering the physical, mental, and social development of children, swimming teaches important values and skills, including conflict-resolution and peace-building. We strive to also educate and mobilize communities around disease prevention and improve their general health. Our impeccable record of providing high quality of service stems from the fact that One with the Water swim instructors pay very close attention to detail and being sensitive to the specific needs of each individual, customizing each lesson to fit each individual’s background, personality, strengths and weaknesses. We continue to demonstrate that anyone can become One with the Water.
Lean Six Sigma – Customer-Centered and Focused at One with the Water
One with the Water uses Lean Six Sigma strategies, a set of techniques and tools for process improvement, to ensure we develop and deliver near-perfect services, in a more efficient way, to both meet and exceed customer requirements, and to ensure that over 90% of all revenue is used strictly for furthering our Mission. We apply Lean Six Sigma strategies to strategic planning, measuring performance, team development and selection, and understanding the customer.
Kenny is a baby Bottlenose dolphin, of the genus Tursiops, one of the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. He is very playful and friendly and loves to frequently leap above the water surface. Kenny plays with water toys, enjoys making bubble rings, and plays well with other dolphins or other animals.