Water safety kits provided to Parks and Rec, YMCA

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Melissa Clough, area coordinator for the Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC), said that in May and June this summer, there were some drownings and other water safety issues around the state of Iowa in general — and in Floyd and Chickasaw counties in particular.

“There are some safety concerns in the summer with kids being at the pool, or at a lake or river or any body of water,” she said. “We want to keep them safe.”

Clough said that CPPC, Americorp, the Charles City YMCA and the Charles City Parks and Recreation Department all put their heads together and came up with an idea for water safety kits.

“Theisen’s in Charles City was able to donate about 40 of these kits for kids,” Clough said. “They’re just very simple water safety bags, with an information card, a snorkel kit with goggles and a breathing tube, and floaties for the younger kiddos.”

The information card contains suggestions from the Red Cross as to how to maintain safety in the water and how parents can better watch their children when they are in the water.

Clough said that Parks and Rec received about 25 kits and 11 went to the YMCA. There are some extra kits available, which Clough will give to the Parks and Recreation Department if no one claims them.

“Water safety is a big deal,” she said. “Making sure kids are safe in any way, shape or form is important.”