Beyond Barriers Athletic Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes healthy lifestyles, improves personal safety, and provides structure for lifelong achievement by providing subsidies for aquatic programs serving disadvantaged youth. Children of color are three times more likely than white children to visit an emergency room or even lose their lives because of a swim accident.
The underlying problem: 70% of Black and 62% of Hispanic children cannot swim, often because their families lack funding or because they do not have access to instruction. BBAF subsidizes programs that teach disadvantaged local youth to swim, introduce them to structured aquatics programs such as water polo and swim teams, and train them as lifeguards. Our objective is to effect significant changes in the following areas:
- Safety. With a target population that lives between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, it is especially important that these children acquire basic water safety skills.
- Health. In San Mateo County, 35% of Hispanic and 38% of African American children are obese. Swimming helps participants improve their overall physical health, as it also benefits those suffering from diabetes, asthma, and a host of other physical challenges.
- Academic and personal success. Children who participate in sports such as swim teams and water polo are more likely to obtain better grades, enhance their social skills, and develop their potential for leadership.
- Employment. Our target communities suffer a rate of unemployment double that of neighboring cities. By subsidizing lifeguard training, BBAF provides teens with the opportunity to work in a field where they will be valued and well compensated.
