The City Heights Swim Center on Landis Street is offering free swimming for the remainder of the summer thanks to a generous donation from the Price Philanthropies Foundation.
This donation has allowed the pool to open its doors seven days a week, eliminating entrance fees for everyone in the community.
One of the standout programs offered at the pool this summer was Camp Submerge, which provided free sessions for youth aged 12 to 17 to learn water safety while also engaging them with underwater robotics.
Local middle school student Aiden Laguna, who is just starting to swim, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I like to swim because it’s fun, entertaining, and it helps your body.”
Andy Field, the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, highlighted the importance of this partnership, noting that it enables even more young swimmers to take advantage of life-saving programs at the pool.
“Having access to water, learning to swim, and preventing drowning are vital services provided by the Aquatics team,” Field explained.
During Camp Submerge, students enjoyed a balanced schedule that combined time in the pool with classroom lessons on designing and building underwater robots.
This hands-on approach to science and engineering provided many students with a chance to learn swimming skills for the first time.
Pedro Colex, a student entering eleventh grade this fall, shared his thoughts, saying, “Swimming on the water is way different because you know what you’re going to do. But, with a (robotic) drone, you’ve got to control it.”
All participants in Camp Submerge benefited from the free learning experience, with the program now concluded, but the City Heights Swim Center continues to offer free fitness programs to all visitors for recreational swimming or lap sessions.
Concerns about swimming access are prevalent in some communities, particularly where fear of water prevails, often preventing children from learning essential swimming skills.
According to the latest U.S. census data, City Heights is predominantly Hispanic and low-income, which can create barriers to access swim lessons.
Sinthya Carranza, district manager overseeing the city’s 15 public pools, shared her personal connection to this issue.
Carranza recounted her own upbringing in a community where swimming was not a priority.
“My mother came from a culture where swimming was not the first thing on their mind. She was actually fearful of water because she witnessed drownings as a child,” Carranza explained.
The financial support from Price Philanthropies is anticipated to serve approximately 3,000 adults and over 7,000 children through lap swimming and learning programs over the next year.
Carranza emphasized the broader implications of this initiative, stating, “It opens job opportunities and opportunities to form healthy habits. It’s just great to be able to pass it down and change the narrative that’s existed where certain populations were excluded from pools.”
In a moment of personal triumph, Carranza mentioned that she had the honor of teaching her 74-year-old mother how to swim, breaking a generational cycle and transforming fear into faith in a brighter future.
image source from：nbcsandiego
