FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
One With The Water® Receives Generous Grant From The Metabolic Studio To Provide Swimming Lessons For Veterans
Los Angeles, CA ‐ November 16, 2013 ‐ One with the Water®, a non‐profit swim school dedicated to providing life‐changing swimming lessons to children and adults ‐ many of them with disabilities or special needs ‐ was honored to receive a generous grant from The Metabolic Studio to provide swimming lessons year‐round for Veterans.
This generous grant was provided by The Metabolic Studio, a direct charitable activity of the Annenberg Foundation, which aims to transform resources into energy, and action into objects that nurture life. One with the Water’s founder, Kenneth Rippetoe, sees the grant from Metabolic Studio for swim lessons for Veterans as a direct extension of the school’s goals to help Veterans, especially those with PTSD, recover and heal from the traumatic experiences of war. Says Kenneth, “I was shocked by a recent statistic which showed that 1 in 5 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, and an average of 22,000 veterans suffer from PTSD symptoms every year. This ends up being an average of 60 new PTSD cases diagnosed every day!” Because PTSD is a stress‐related disorder, engaging inswimming activities helps reduce stress and provides an outlet for nervous energy which can be very effective in helpingPTSD sufferers cope with their condition. Also, many Veterans have health challenges that require long‐term therapeutic care and One with the Water® is fortunate to have professional experience working with disabled swimmers as well as individuals who suffer from post‐traumatic stress.
Head coach Kenneth Rippetoe of One with the Water® stated, “We are overjoyed by this generous grant which will help Veterans continue their recovery by becoming ‘One with the Water’. We will now be able to provide essential swimming therapy and swim lessons to Veterans year round – a great way to give back to our Veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.” This year One with the Water® is offering the swimming lessons to Veterans and their family members through the Serve The Warrior project, a non‐profit whose mission is to give back to American Veterans by offering healing and wellness themed programs and events. The Program is specifically designed to help PTSD sufferers improve their swim skills, increase their physical fitness and reduce their stress.
Grants and donations to One with the Water® pay exclusively for pool space, insurance, and instruction for Veterans, children, and families with limited financial means. Since its founding, One with the Water® has given out over $51,000 in scholarships to needy students and changed the lives of over 700 swimmers. One with the Water® is proud to offer special needs swim lessons for persons with disabilities, or mental or physical challenges. Swimming lessons are available year‐round with classes designed to help swimmers learn and improve skills, maintain physical fitness, and achieve success.
About One with the Water®
One with the Water® offers competitive swim training and year‐round swimming lessons for children and adults with a wide variety of skill levels, from total beginner to competitive athlete. In addition to their national‐level competitive swimming skills, One with the Water®’s swim instructors are trained to work with children and adults diagnosed withautism, Asperger’s, ADD, ADHD, sensory integration, anxiety, Down and CHARGE syndrome, auditory processing disorders, dyslexia, and others. Founder and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe is certified by the American Swimming Coach Association Disability Level 3.
Tax-deductible donations to One with the Water®, Inc., a 501(c)(3), can be made at the organization’s website: OneWithTheWater.org/donate.aspx.
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Media Inquiries:
One with the Water: contact Coach Kenneth at 323.364.Swim
Website: onewiththewater.org
Facebook: facebook.com/OneWithTheWater
Twitter: @1withthewater
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.