London marked the second Olympics for American swimmer Cullen Jones. He was a part of that epic 4x100m relay in 2008 and quitely won two silvers (4x100m & 50m) in these games. He's a great swimmer, but this post is more about what he has been doing outside the pool.
He has been working with a foundation called Make A Splash to help children in the African American community learn how to swim. Those children are three times more likely to drown than any other race because 70 percent of African American children have little to no swimming skills. At one point Jones was a part of that 70 percent. When he was five-years-old he almost drowned at a swim park and had to be resuscitated by the lifeguard. He was enrolled in swim lessons the following week and has clearly learned how to swim.
Since 2007, Make A Splash has helped one million children learn how to swim. Below is a piece from Rock Center about what he's been doing and why. I love stuff like this because it really shows that some athletes aren't all about competing or winning. Jones doesn't want anyone to die because of a fear of water and is working hard to decrease the number of children (and adults) that don't know how to swim.
I always say that swimming is an important life skill that everyone should have and Jones backs me up by saying that swimming is not just a sport but something that can save lives. You go, Cullen!
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