Group working to educate students on water safety
The group Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated are working with local schools to inform children about water safety. Volunteers Gary Hester and Roger Motes are shown here speaking to Belgreen students Thursday. | Nathan Strickland/FCT
As warm weather starts to slip in, children who enjoy swimming are fighting to get outside and into a water hole.
The group Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated believes everyone should be aware of water safety issues when comes time to dive in.
BVI taught K-6 graders at Belgreen Elementary Wednesday the importance of being safe around water and what it means to keep our rivers and lakes free of litter.
BVI is a volunteer extension of retirees who worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Roger Motes and Gary Hester has made it their mission to hit every school in Franklin County spreading the word to students about being safe around water hazards.
“We present a video to the students that highlights some of the basic water rules including swimming with a buddy in a supervised area, always follow the rules, good swimming practices, always wear a lifejacket, sun and sunscreen and to be aware of water hazards around the home,” Motes said.
Hester said they also like to touch on the litter problems Franklin County is facing and make sure kids realize if they don’t dispose trash properly then they could possibly one day end up wading in it.
“We support the organization People Against a Littered State (PALS) and we just want the kids to understand when the rain comes, the trash that is built up in ditches and things wash right into the lakes and creeks were they might swim,” Hester said.
“We just encourage them to help keep it clean. If a third of the students notice and spread the word to family not to litter, then we will be able to see the effect it has over a period of time.”
BVI reaches out to about 2,400 students in Franklin County alone and firmly believes the message they continue to spread is vital to the children.
“Our main goal is to prevent a drowning at all costs,” Hester said. “Roger and I have stepped up the program to teach the kids all that is going on.”
A package full of teaching tools were sent to each teacher involved in the program and the students are encouraged to take those tools home to show family members what they have learned.
“This year we will successfully reach every school system in the county and we would like to thank the superintendents, principals and teachers who have supported our program,” Motes said. “Kids seem to be very enthusiastic and interact well to the video and demonstrations we do. It really is a good program.”
Belgreen Principal Steve Pounders believes it is pretty significant for this area considering all the nearby recreational swimming spots.
“I think it is a great and very important program for kids to know about what decisions need to be made when it comes to water,” he said.
“We have so many lakes around Belgreen and we may never here about situations kids get into, but this program is making a difference in someway.”
By the time the 45 minute session was over, all the children were singing the jingle “Do you part, Be water smart” from the video making the session another success for the program.
