SOS Sink or Swim, a local non-profit that has funded free swimming lessons for 2,500 Talbot County children over the past four summers, recently formed an Executive Council to help sustain the program into the future.
“We have been fortunate to attract council members who are enthusiastic about our mission to teach children how to swim and be safe in and around the water,” said SOS President Elizabeth C. “Libby” Moose. “We have received great community support for the program, which has been administered since its inception by the staff of the St. Michaels Community Center.”
This year, SOS is on track to fund swim lessons for 1,100 children, ages 18-months through 18-years, at the George Murphy Community Pool in Easton and the Bay Hundred Community Pool in St. Michaels. Talbot County Parks & Recreation Department has worked closely with SOS and the community center to hire swim instructors and provide pool time for the three, two-week sessions of classes provided each year.
Moose, a Claiborne resident, was one of the founders of the SOS Sink or Swim when it was started in 2014 by the Miles River Yacht Club Foundation. Originally from North Carolina, her summers growing up were spent on the water. A love of swimming and some exciting boating experiences gave her the idea that, with so many miles of waterfront around Talbot County, everyone should know how to swim. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, SOS’s fiscal sponsor.
The other members of the Executive Council are:
Dick Cooper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and photographer who has sailed the Chesapeake Bay for 40 years. He moved to St. Michaels in 2006 after a career as a reporter and editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a boater, he knows the importance of swimming. He joined the SOS Council after writing a magazine story about the program and being impressed by its successful approach to teaching children how to swim.
Bev Pratt, a former law school administrator, worked with the California Partnership for Children, an advocacy and research organization for children’s health and welfare. Her work with SOS Sink or Swim is a natural extension of her past professional experience and priorities. A resident of St. Michaels for 10 years, she also serves on the Christmas in St. Michaels Board and SMASH Executive Committee.
Kelly Simonsen, marketing and communications manager for Easton Utilities, is passionate about most water sports. This interest, combined with her fondness for children, makes SOS Sink or Swim a perfect fit. She hopes to spread awareness about the mission of Sink or Swim and its importance in this region surrounded by so much water.
Mary Tydings Smith is an executive search consultant with 30 years of experience recruiting senior management and board members for foundations, cultural institutions and colleges. From 1992 to 1993, she worked on the Clinton-Gore transition team as a search manager. Earlier in her career, she was an editor and reporter for the Mutual Broadcasting System before joining “The Larry King Show” as a producer. She is a member of the boards of Bowdoin College and the Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
René Stevenson recently retired from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, where she served as vice president of constituent services, and was responsible for development, membership, admissions and the Museum Store. Prior to joining CBMM in 2009, she worked in bank administration and in business development at the Nemours duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del. She serves as treasurer for SOS Sink or Swim and also serves as board secretary for the St. Michaels Community Center.
Deanna Van Skiver has lived on the Eastern Shore for the past 18 years, since moving from northern Indiana in 1999. The close proximity of water, mountains and metro made Easton the perfect spot. Over the years she established ties of family and friendship, and adopted a quirky collection of pets. She lives in Easton with her husband, Dan, and eight-year-old son, Elliott. She became interested in joining the SOS council after her son’s positive and successful swim-lesson experience in 2016.
SOS Sink or Swim has already started fundraising to support free swim lessons for local children next summer. It costs just $50 to teach a child to swim. To support SOS, visit sossinkorswim.org and click “Donate Now.” Checks can be mailed to SOS Sink or Swim, 606A North Talbot Street, St. Michaels, Maryland 21663.
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