Protect • Educate • Prepare • Empower
Swim for
Rakim™
Turning Tragedy Into Action.
Protecting children through education, water competency and community safety — one child, one family, one pond and one community at a time.
One Pond. One Fence. One Child. One Community. One Life at a Time.™
His smile lives on through a safer, stronger, brighter tomorrow.
Drowning by the numbers
Real statistics. Real children. Real reasons to act.
4,000
Estimated fatal unintentional drownings annually
≈ 11 every day
8,000
Estimated nonfatal drownings annually
≈ 22 every day
#1
Drowning: leading cause of death for ages 1–4
U.S. children
#2
Second-leading unintentional injury death cause, ages 5–14
Behind motor-vehicle crashes
Report a Pond
Help identify potential risks in your community.
Get started →Sponsor a Child
Give a child the opportunity to learn to swim.
Get started →Sponsor a Fence
Help protect a community's water's edge.
Get started →Donate
Fund every layer of protection.
Get started →Source: CDC Drowning Facts, updated Jan. 27, 2026. Annual estimates; daily figures are averages, not a live counter.
The daily toll of drowning
This isn't simply a fence campaign.
It's a child- and community-safety campaign. Estimated average U.S. fatal and nonfatal drownings per day, based on CDC annual estimates.
A fence is one layer.
Education is another.
Swimming ability is another.
Supervision is another.
Preparedness is another.
Source: CDC Drowning Facts, updated Jan. 27, 2026. Annual estimates, not a live counter. See the Data Center.
The Child
Six pillars. One system.
We don't simply build fences. We build a community drowning-prevention system.
Protect
One Pond at a Time™
Identify hazards, assess ponds, obtain authorization and install approved barriers.
Teach
Rakim Water Safety Academy™
Swim lessons, water competency, pond safety and life-jacket use.
Prepare
Every Second Counts™
CPR awareness, first aid, safe rescue and water-watcher education.
Equip
Rakim Safety Kit™
Life jackets where appropriate, emergency cards and safety materials.
Mobilize
Community Water Safety Alliance™
Fence companies, swim schools, churches, schools, responders and sponsors.
Measure
Swim for Rakim Impact Center™
Show exactly what has been accomplished — publicly.
Swim lessons save lives
Don't only build a fence around the water. Build knowledge around the child.
01
Before: uncertain around water
02
Learning: floating with an instructor
03
Developing: water competency
04
Education: life-jacket use
05
Family: supervision & emergency response
06
Community: Safety Day
Per the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2026 policy, swim lessons may begin after a child's first birthday, take multiple lessons to build water competency, and never replace close supervision or other layers of protection.
Sponsor a Swimmer™Our community impact
Measured. Public. Real.
0
Ponds Reported
0
Ponds Assessed
0
Ponds Completed
0
Feet of Fence Installed
0
Children Sponsored
0
Swim Sessions Funded
0
Families Educated
0
CPR Participants
0
Community Partners
0
Corporate Sponsors
Every number above is counted live from Swim for Rakim program records. Children are counted in aggregate only — no personal information is ever shown publicly.
Project map • Jacksonville pilot
Every pond. Every stage. In public.
Swim for Rakim™ Jacksonville Challenge
10 Ponds • 1,000 Children • One City
These are program goals, not predictions. Every result is tracked publicly.
10
Pond-safety projects
1,000
Children sponsored
1,000
Families reached
500
Caregivers in CPR education
10
Community Safety Days
50+
Sponsors
For kids
Rakim's Water Safety Promise™
Never go near water alone. Always ask an adult. Listen to my swim instructor. Earn a digital badge and certificate.
Take the Promise →
Community Safety Days
Education • Demonstrations • Resources • Fun
