Children & Adults Taught Since 2007!
REGISTER NOW FOR 2025 SWIM LESSONS!
RAPS IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS FOR OUR 2025 SUMMER SESSIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL RAPSSWIM@VERIZON.NET. LEARN TO SWIM THIS SUMMER!
RAPS 2024 State of the Union address:
- 2960 Total swimmers taught since 2007 minus two years of Covid
- 316 manhours to run the program for four weeks which includes 60 hours for cleaning the pool
- 85 new students completed the entire week plus 12 returnees for a total of 97. This number represents 48.5% of those that registered. 200 students were signed up – of that number, 43 did not finish the week and 60 spaces that groups signed up for and either didn’t use, cancelled at the last minute, or were no shows. We can only teach the ones that come.
- 112 Volunteer hours from instructors & aides.
- 5 Donors that allows us to offer this program – THANK YOU!!!!!! To be fair, I didn’t fundraise this year due to using money left from the Covid years
- 12 returnee students
- 12 Adults that decided they wanted to learn how to swim
- 10 Really Awesome Instructors
- 10 years at Timberlake Community Association Windsor Oaks Pool
- 2 bathing suits given away
- 1 Aide that came to help and fit right in – Magdalena
- 1 WONDERFUL Timberlake Community Association that allows us to rent their pool and residents that give up pool time so we can use their pool. We couldn’t do this without you
- 1 Lifeguard who now wants to become a Water Safety Instructor 😊
- 2 VIP‘s that helped me keep the pool clean all summer
- 1 REALLY AWESOME Lucy who gave us 50 hours of her time this summer.
- 1 Giant frog in the skimmer that made Melissa scream and had to chase it around the pool with a skimmer net😊
- 0 days lost due to weather because God doesn’t let it storm on RAPS
Thank you for a great 2023 season! We are excited to be going back to Timberlake Windsor Oaks Pool for 2024!. Please spread the word about our program. We are able to accommodate groups up to 40 swimmers along with individuals. Registration for 2024 has begun so please email rapsswim@verizon.net to learn more about the program.
RAPS™ swim program offers American Red Cross swim lessons and organized play to minority and disadvantaged children and adults between the ages of 5 - 99.
RAPS Mission Statement
The purpose of the Really Awesome People Swimming program is to provide swim lessons to as many minorities as possible in order to keep them safe while in, on, or around the water, which in turn, will help lower the drowning rates among minorities. This includes teaching swimming and safety skills, along with building swimmers confidence to those who participate in the RAPS program free of charge. It is also the mission of the RAPS program to educate the general public as to high rate of drowning among minorities and make the change where no child is left out of learning to swim due to race, economic levels, or lack of pool facilities.
At RAPS, “CAN’T” is a cuss word!
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists drowning as the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 - 14. All children should have the opportunity to learn how to swim no matter of their socioeconomic status.
Thank you to our Supporters
It takes a lot of help from volunteers and community partners to keep the Really Awesome People Swimming Program successfully teaching minority children from all over Hampton Roads how to swim. We are extremely grateful for all of our volunteers, sponsors and community partners.
Lynnhaven United Methodist Church
Two Anonymous Angels
Mark & Ellen Manion