A student enrolled in the Pasadena, California, Art Center College of Design at the time of the Project Elle, Ms. Tosin was driven by her desire to create functional design and meaningful human experience that changes the way people think, feel, and do.

Project Elle

One with the Water® provided professional participation as a mentor and swimming expert.  Coach Kenneth Rippetoe co-designed a prosthetic leg used as swimwear that would most replicate and assist an amputee while swimming, to overcome a lack of balance, help the swimmer gain stability, and have the same mechanical advantages of a human leg.

The most prominent design challenges to the project, according to Ms. Tosin herself, included compensating for the imbalanced buoyancy created by a missing limb, the multifunctionality needed for launch, swimming, and turning, and finally, ensuring a comfortable, secure fit capable of handling the workload.

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Final Design

The final design featured a support liner and elastic bands sewn into compression fabrics. We created an adjustable air chamber to provide buoyancy for maintaining the streamline position. The “ankle” is flexible to optimize starts and turns, and the device comes with an interchangeable fin, depending on the swimmer’s foot size.

The result? Elle, A game-changing prosthetic device for single-leg below the knee amputees to swim and compete with their peers, now with swimwear available as well.

For more information on the product, check out Della’s website here.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Project Elle Revisited: Prosthetic Swimming Leg appeared first on One with the Water.

As 2019 is ending, we’d like to take a moment and say thank you. Our mission at One with the Water is to provide access to the lifesaving skill of swimming to everyone, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources.

Steven is a ten-year-old boy with a complicated mood disorder. Starting out, Guy was like every other child, happy and enjoying his little life. Between the ages of 3 and 6, behavioral issues began to occur that defied any typical diagnosis. After suffering abuse at the hands of a biological relative, Steven’s problems began to escalate. His mother fought for accurate diagnosis for years, finally getting help even as Steven’s issues peaked with self-harming and threats of suicide. 

With new doctors and a tailored treatment plan, Steven began participating in the swim lessons offered at One with the Water this year and loves it! He received a full scholarship and has made vast improvements in his personality and anger issues. 

The problem for children like Steven is real. According to decades of research, children with disabilities are statistically more likely to present in a low-income environment. (The average cost of private swim lessons in Los Angeles is over $200/month).

We know, again, based on decades of research, how powerful the therapeutic benefits of swimming can be for children with special needs. Water buoyancy allows previously restricted individuals to move freely and helps build muscle in low muscle tone individuals. Additionally, self-regulation, speech, oral motor control, strength, and coordination are just a few areas that can improve with therapy in the water.

Research also shows that participation in swimming for individuals with disabilities afforded the participants heightened senses of self-concept, independence, ability and pride, and an enhanced perceived quality of life. Athletes found that they were able to redefine their physical capabilities, strengthen social connections, and improve acceptance among their peers.

Lifesaving swim lessons create safer, happier, healthier, more confident kids. We can’t do it without you. As your year draws to an end, consider giving to One with the Water as part of your year-end giving plan. 

Finish strong by saving lives. Join us by donating to help provide need-based scholarships for high risk, high need children. When you give to One with the Water, you impact a child’s life on every plane – mentally, physically, and emotionally, for their lifetime. Please donate today to provide the lifesaving skill of swimming to those who need it most.

*Name changed for privacy reasons.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Give to Save Lives appeared first on One with the Water.

One with the Water, a non-profit swim school dedicated to providing access to the lifesaving skill of swimming to everyone, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources, is honored and pleased to announce they’ve been awarded a generous grant from the Santa Monica chapter of the international Kiwanis organization. Approaching their eighth anniversary this August, One with the Water will use the money provided to fund individual scholarships for special needs children with limited financial resources. Children like Nicole.

Nicole was born healthy. For seven years, she was a normal, happy vivacious girl – until the seizures started. At age seven, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, which spiraled rapidly out of control. Therapy, medication, nothing worked to slow her seizures, which culminated in a seizure that left her with permanent damage on her right side.

When Nicole started swimming lessons with One with the Water, she rolled onto the pool deck in a wheelchair. Now, she walks onto the pool deck with her mother and brother each day, a huge grin on her face. The benefits of swimming are evident in all her therapies, increasing her strength and mobility at a rapid rate. She loves the water most though, and for those thirty minutes each time, she works hard, stretching her arms across the lane, stitching uncooperative muscle fiber and wayward neurons back together. For Nicole, swimming has restored her in more ways than one.

About One with the Water

One with the Water believes that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. Swimming lessons are taught using growth-mindset techniques, creating transformative miracles in their students both in and out of the water, as they shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The organization is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians. Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe has a Level 5 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association and has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. Tax-deductible donations to the One with the Water Swimming Foundation can be made at the organization’s website: OneWithTheWater.org.

About Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica

The mission of the international Kiwanis organization is to empower communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. Established in 1922, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica is one of the top contributors to the children and community of Santa Monica, providing $30,000 worth of college scholarships last year and volunteering both time and money to support the local Boys and Girls clubs and multiple other local nonprofits serving the children of Santa Monica.

For more information, visit www.kiwanisclubsm.org
Media Inquiries: One with the Water: 323.364.Swim (7946)
Website: OneWithTheWater.org

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post One With The Water Receives Generous Grant from Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica appeared first on One with the Water.

If you aren’t familiar with Stephanie’s Day, you should be!

Stephanie’s Day is a resource fair that provides families with children impacted by autism and other special needs ONE place to gather valuable information, enjoy fun activities and much more! (From CBS LA).

Stephanie’s Day was the brainchild of Steve Mauldin, President, and General manager of CBS2/KCAL9, after his then two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with autism. When Stephanie was diagnosed, there weren’t many resources for families of children with autism, so Steve decided to create a way to bring them all together.

“These people are really there so that families know there are different agencies all over this community that are in one place for that day, where they can find out how to make their child’s and their family’s life better.” Steve Mauldin

Initially located in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 1999, 2019 is the 20th anniversary of Stephanie’s Day, now held in Southern California, with over 50 organizations participating. From nutrition and sports training programs to job training and cutting edge therapeutic interventions, there are a wealth of resources available. (Make sure you come to see us!) Also, while Stephanie’s Day was created to help families with autism, there are plenty of resources available for special needs children of all diagnoses. Not only that, Stephanie’s Day offers a chance to network and connect with other families on the same journey.

Save the date now for Saturday, June 8, 2019, and make sure to share this with your friends!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Stephanie’s Day 2019: Save the date! appeared first on One with the Water.

As 2018 draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment and say thank you. We can’t do what we do without your support. With your help, hundreds of children have learned the lifesaving skill of swimming, reducing their risk of drowning by up to 80% and creating happier, healthier, stronger kids 

Unfortunately,  we can’t afford to rest on those numbers. Here’s the bad news.

The Problem

According to the CDC, approximately one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency care for nonfatal injuries. The rate of near drowning is much higher, as not all near drownings are reported. With its miles of coastlines, a multitude of natural freshwater bodies, and an abundance of swimming pools, Californians are at increased risk for drowning and near-drowning incidents, with drowning being the leading cause of accidental death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.

Children with special needs face a higher risk of drowning, as well as other barriers to a healthy, fulfilling, more active life.

• Among children with autism, the risk of drowning increases exponentially. “Our analysis reveals that children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning as the general pediatric population. Wandering often occurs with autistic children, and because children with autism often have limited social and communication skills, they may seek out bodies of water as a serene place to calm themselves and relieve anxiety. Often with tragic outcomes. Given the exceptionally heightened risk of drowning for children with autism, swimming classes should be the intervention of top priority.” – Dr. Li
• Children and youth with disabilities are at higher risk for experiencing lower levels of social-emotional well-being than their peers without limitations. They are more likely to be bullied and harassed, have a limited number of friends, and engage in fewer extracurricular activities than their peers.

Drowning prevention for members of our most vulnerable populations is literally a matter of life and death.

Now for the good news. We have a solution, and it’s simple.

The Solution

Lifesaving swim lessons, creating safer, happier, healthier, more confident kids. We can’t do it without you. As your year draws to an end, consider giving to One with the Water as part of your year-end giving plan.  

Finish strong by saving lives. Join us by donating to help provide need-based scholarships for high risk, high need children. When you give to One with the Water, you impact a child’s life on every plane – mentally, physically, and emotionally, for their lifetime. Donate today to provide the lifesaving skill of swimming to those who need it most.

Again, we are incredibly grateful for your support of One with the Water. We look forward to serving you in 2019.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Time Is Running Out. Help Us Prevent Drowning. appeared first on One with the Water.

Three reasons you should donate your dollars, voice, and time.

One: Our heart.  Coach Rippetoe was recently featured in VoyageLA’s Inspiring Stories and he says it best.

© Jaysi | Dreamstime

One with the Water is not just about being a swim school. We are about sharing with others our passion for being in the water and living. The peacefulness we gain from swimming is something that has become greater than a life-or-death matter to us. Swimming is our passion. It is our escape from this world and its over-stimulation. Teaching people about our passion and helping them to achieve this peacefulness is our mission.

Two: It’s not just about swim lessons. One of the things we are most proud of (behind our dedicated, professional staff) is our whole mind-body approach and our use of the growth mindset in encouraging and coaching our swimmers. According to Dr. Dweck, one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology, people with the Growth Mindset learn to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, and intentionally seek out new challenges; They have learned that circumstances and ability matter less and effort matters more. We are committed to our clients, mind, body, and soul.

Three: Lives are changing. I can’t emphasize this enough. Remember, the number one and two barriers to differently abled children participating in sport is the social stigma associated with their conditions plus the cost of participation. But the research is clear. One study (among many) found that when participating in sports, adapted athletes believed they exceeded the expectations associated with their specific disability, specifically by the demonstration of a fit, muscular, and liberated body exhibiting physical skill.

© Mrcmos | Dreamstime

“Participation in this setting is unexpected and emphasizes an alternative representation of a disabled body.”

And the health benefits are well-documented. Swimming provides measurable health and therapeutic benefits for our special needs community in and out of the water. From better balance and gross motor skills, to improved speech and communication, our athletes are changing their lives by learning to swim. Their risk of accidental drowning plummets by 88%. Being a part of a team reduces isolation and creates positive peer relationships that carry over outside of the pool, and they have the confidence to conquer their fears.

Your money matters.

Communities are changing. Families are changing. Lives are changing. Don’t miss your chance.

Donate Today

Your voice, your time, and your dollars matter. Donate today and be a hero in your community.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Why Donate to One with the Water? Three Reasons It Matters. appeared first on One with the Water.

Where do you start? What do you do? How can an everyday person effect heroic change in others? So often, just keeping up with a family, home, and career seem to ask more of you than you can give.

But we know the inner call to help others is persistent and won’t go away. And you know deep down there are people needing help who won’t get it if you don’t act.

Something has to be done.

What if you could be the hero in the life of another? What if you could bring life change to people in your community?

It’s possible.

Let me tell you a story about real change happening right here, right now.

Nicole was born healthy. For seven years, she was a normal, happy vivacious girl – until the seizures started. At age seven, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, which spiraled rapidly out of control. Therapy, medication, nothing worked to slow her seizures, which culminated in a seizure that left her with permanent damage on her right side. Nicole was forced to relearn everything – how to walk, how to talk, how to eat and drink. Two years ago, she underwent extensive brain surgery to halt the seizures, but Nicole and her mother and family were left with the aftermath of her worst seizure.

When Nicole started swimming lessons with One with the Water, she rolled onto the pool deck in a wheelchair. Now, she walks onto the pool deck with her mother and brother each day, a huge grin on her face. The benefits of swimming are evident in all her therapies, increasing her strength and mobility at a rapid rate.  She loves the water most though, and for those 30 minutes each time, she works hard, stretching her arms across the lane, stitching uncooperative muscle fiber and wayward neurons back together. For Nicole, swimming has restored her in more ways than one. When you talk to her mother and brother, you can hear it in their voices; you can hear it in their story. Their grief at what once was, their grace for what is, and their hope for what will be. And above all, love and pride for their beautiful, smiling Nicole.

Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday, you have the opportunity to be the neighborhood hero and offer life changing transformation to local kids who need it most. 

Nicole is a member of our Adaptive Athlete swim team.

When our adaptive athletes begin training, expert coaches assess their unique needs and design a custom training plan to build their awareness and confidence in the water. They learn what success looks like, both in competition and in life.

In addition, swimming provides measurable health and therapeutic benefits for our special needs community, in and out of the water. From better balance and gross motor skills, to improved speech and communication, our athletes are changing their lives by learning to swim. Their risk of accidental drowning plummets by 88%. Being a part of a team reduces isolation and creates positive peer relationships that carry over outside of the pool. And finally, they have the confidence to conquer their fears.

Be A Local Hero

We know you want to be compassionate, involved members of your community. When you donate to One with the Water, you create real and lasting change in the lives of our adaptive athletes. They are confident, courageous, successful, and safe, thanks to you!

All you need to do is give.

• $180 a month provides a child access to the life-changing swim team preparing them for high school and college!
• $275 a month teaches a special needs child the lifesaving skill of swimming.

Hear this: Every dollar you give, whether it’s $10 or $200, goes DIRECTLY to providing swim lessons. Each penny counts, so don’t be intimidated by large amounts. It takes a village, and you are ours.

Communities are changing. Families are changing. Lives are changing. Don’t miss your chance.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post A Giving Tuesday Story appeared first on One with the Water.

Our goal is to teach our children to love the giving more than the receiving, and to be thoughtful and aware of how and what we purchase affects everyone from the factory worker to the cashier who has been on their feet for 12 hours. Our dollars have impact, both good and bad, and our young ones need to know!

Three ways to give this holiday shopping season!

So here are THREE ways you can use your money to serve your community, potentially help save lives, and help our most vulnerable populations … all with your holiday shopping!

AMAZON SMILE!! Listen, I’ll never pass up a chance to shop local and ethically made goods when I can, but the reality of our life means I am clicking away on Amazon more often than not. So I shop Amazon Smile and One with the Water gets a portion of what I buy. “When customers shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.” Cyber Monday is fast approaching so there is no time to waste.

Shop for everyone on your gift list this holiday at smile.amazon.com/ch/45-3172555 and Amazon donates to One With The Water.

DONATE. We are consumed by stuff. Current trends (like the Konmarie method and Swedish Death Cleaning) are to downsize, shed our things and live with purpose and meaning, unencumbered by too many belongings. One of the things we like to do in our family is donate in loved ones’ names to our favorite nonprofits, to people who are changing the world and the lives of people in it. You can do that this holiday shopping season! (And avoid the lines, I’m just saying!)

Just $60 can help teach a child to swim. Feeling generous? $275 gives a child with special needs a full month of semi-private swim lessons and an individualized swim plan. But truthfully, every dollar amount, no matter how big or how small, goes directly to providing lifesaving swim lessons.

GIVE CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS. Consider the gift of swim lessons for children, grandchildren, godchildren, nieces, nephews and more. Not only are you giving your loved ones the gift of safety, confidence, and success in the water, you help us fulfill our mission of giving everyone access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially those who lack the traditional resources to learn. Contact us to learn how you cam purchase gift certificates for your loved ones this holiday season.

Thank you.

We are incredibly thankful for the kind, loving, and generous people that populate our world. Our One with the Water family is no exception. Much love to you and yours as we approach this time of generosity, reflection, and celebration. May it be with the ones you hold dear, by blood or by choice.

~From all of us at One with the Water.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Holiday Shopping With Purpose appeared first on One with the Water.

But, if like me, training has taken to back seat to life (with or without four kids), then we’d love for you to start with THE Triathlon, a boutique triathlon event right here in LA with all proceeds benefiting us, One with the Water.

THE Triathlon

Do you have what it takes to complete THE Triathlon? Join us on 10/01 to sweat for a great cause!

Starting with a SwimTeam class at the Culver City Pool, followed by a picturesque run around Downtown Culver City and followed by a incredibly fun Soulcycle class at the Platform Center. After the sweat, join us after the class on the Soulcycle patio where you’ll be enjoying tunes, complimentary refreshments and quality time with the community!

The event will be fully donation based and your donation will guarantee you a spot in the event! All of the proceeds will go to One with the Water to help vulnerable children have access to the life saving skill of swimming.

Go here for more information on location, time and tickets. We’d love for you to join us – you can be a hero while you improve your health!

Don’t forget, you can ALWAYS donate right here on our website to help us help people take back their lives. From 2 to 20, 8 to 80, veterans, adaptive athletes, new swimmers, infants, toddlers and more. When you donate, your money goes toward teaching the lifesaving skill of swimming to ANYONE who needs it.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post THE Triathlon, benefitting One with the Water! appeared first on One with the Water.

You can be a hero for Nicole.

Nicole was born healthy. For seven years, she was a normal, happy vivacious girl – until the seizures started. At age seven, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, which spiraled rapidly out of control. Therapy, medication, nothing worked to slow her seizures, which culminated in a seizure that left her with permanent damage on her right side. Nicole was forced to relearn everything – how to walk, how to talk, how to eat and drink. Two years ago, she underwent extensive brain surgery to halt the seizures, but Nicole and her mother and family were left with the aftermath of her worst seizure.

Some of you may not know that One with the Water is a non-profit foundation. It’s true! At One with the Water, we don’t just offer swimming lessons. Our mission is to teach the life-skill of swimming to everyone, including children and adults with special needs as well as families with limited financial means, empowering them with confidence and accomplishment. We offer need-based scholarships to persons with mental or physical challenges, including Service-Disabled Veterans, as well as to families struggling financially. We don’t close our doors to anyone who wants to learn to swim!

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help, and we need your networks to spread the word about the life-saving work we do.

Here is how.

Macy’s Shop for a Cause Charity Challenge

We’ve joined Macy’s Shop for a Cause Charity Challenge for a chance to win up to $100,000. From July 11 to August 9, we need to rally our people to donate to One with the Water via the Macy’s Crowdrise funding page. By joining our team (through the link here https://www.crowdrise.com/one-with-the-water) and creating your own fundraising page connected to One with the Water, we can reach far and wide to help exponentially grow our reach. There are five grand prizes ranging from $10,000-$100,000.

(You’ll notice a donate button on the site, but it won’t go live until July 11^th). In the meantime, we need you to join our team!

Additionally, there are weekly bonus challenges throughout the competition that increase our chance of winning extra cash!

To begin:  If we have 10 fundraisers on our team before the Challenge starts on July 11^th, we will be entered for a chance to win $1,000.

We need your help.

I challenge you to join our team – there is NO requirement to buy or sell anything! Just share the link and spread the word. Help swimmers like Nicole, who started swimming lessons with One with the Water by rolling onto the pool deck in a wheelchair. Now, she walks onto the pool deck with her mother and brother each day, a huge grin on her face. The benefits of swimming are evident in all her therapies, increasing her strength and mobility at a rapid rate.  She loves the water most though, and for those 30 minutes each time, she works hard, stretching her arms across the lane, stitching uncooperative muscle fiber and wayward neurons back together. For Nicole, swimming has restored her in more ways than one.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Join us at Macy’s Shop for a Cause Charity Challenge!  

Molly Huggins (For Kenneth and all of us at One with the Water), Community Outreach Coordinator

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Macy’s Shop for a Cause – Join our team to be a hero. appeared first on One with the Water.