Every year, hundreds of young children drown in swimming pools or receive emergency care for near fatal drownings. It’s a distressing thought. A toddler can go unsupervised for only a few moments and accidentally fall into a backyard pool. In fact, children aged 1-4 have the highest drowning rates of any demographic. As publicists, there are few things more gratifying than being able to use our skills and media contacts to raise awareness for incredibly important topics and businesses that impact lives.

Thanks to the very talented Orca Publicist Sue Breding, the story of one Phoenix business on a mission to save children’s lives will receive the national media attention it so deserves.

The “Early Show” on CBS Television Network came to Phoenix on August 15 to tape a segment about Orca client SWIMkids USA and the special work being done to teach infants and toddlers water safety and survival. I asked Sue to recap the day in her own words and photographs. Read below and enjoy! Another week goes by in which I feel genuinely honored to have the most talented publicists in the business on the Orca team!

- Wendy Roberts, Director of Public Relations

 

Making National TV Dreams Come True 

By Publicist Sue Breding

“This is her dream!” commented Melissa Sutton, director of operations for SWIMkids USA. This past Monday afternoon I stood with Melissa watching SWIMkids founder Lana Whitehead as she was being interviewed by CBS news Early Show correspondent Priya David Clemens. Lana was being given a chance to share her passion for babies and water safety with a national television audience. Lana had been hoping for this moment for a long time! A pioneer in teaching babies to love and navigate safely through water, Lana started on this important path in 1971 when she started teaching babies to swim while she was an instructor for the YMCA. She eventually opened her own swim school, SWIMkids USA, where they have taught over 50,000 children water safety and swim techniques.

Lana first helped to launch the Water Safe Babies program in Florida, then helped bring it to Arizona. Doctors who are part of this program are giving parents a prescription for baby swim or water safety lessons at every baby’s 9-month well-check visit. The folks at SWIMkids USA are on the ground floor of next taking this program nationwide.

Seeing small babies swim and reach for the wall seemed fascinating to reporter Priya David Clemens. After all, being a network reporter is just one of her jobs; her other is being a mom to a six-month-old baby at home.

Producer Sherri Sylvester also flew in to Phoenix on a hot summer day for the sake of this critical story. She is a seasoned journalist who has worked every type of story imaginable, yet it was obvious she was impressed with what she saw the babies capable of doing in their class at SWIMkids USA.

CBS Early Show Cameraman Jim Escobedo was also on hand. A father of two little girls, Escobedo lives in Phoenix and is a news veteran who has covered many tragic drownings in the area over the years. He knows all too well the value of this story.

Lana and the staff at SWIMkids USA are excited to show families across the country just what babies can do and learn in the water! The crew captured babies under age one learning to grab the side of the wall, and begin to get comfortable on their backs in a float position. I also coordinated an interview for the CBS crew with the family of a Phoenix-area child, 3-year-old Max Bea. When Max was 16 months old, he was knocked into the family pool by his large dog. Due to his swim lessons at SWIMkids USA, the little boy saved himself from drowning by rolling over onto his back and floating until his mom came to help him. When this segment airs on Wednesday, 8.24.11, it will be a segment that will touch the hearts of America.