The Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition (led by All Children's Hospital) and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) co-sponsored the FloridaSafePools.orgH2O EXPO on Saturday, May 7, 2011. This public event was created to provide families with young children a fun water experience while raising awareness about water safety practices and drowning prevention. Many local families came out and participated in a variety of fun and educational activities:
Swim evaluations for children two years and up (provided by City of St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation Department certified water safety instructors)
Information for parents about where to find swim instruction for kids
A demonstration of various pool barriers, pool drains and other "layers of pool protection" by members of the Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA)
Olympic Gold Medalist and swimmer Brooke Bennett delighted everyone by displaying her Olympic gold medals, signing autographs, and sharing cookies
Fun with bubbles provided by the Great Explorations bubble activity
TASCO brought the ever-popular bounce house
Paddle board work-outs for teens were held in the USF Pool
A special exhibition by the SCUBAnauts (a group of nautical teens)
Healthy cooking demonstrations by the All Children's Hospital Fit4Allkids program
Publix Store #640, Gordon Food Service, Chick-fil-A and the St. Petersburg Firefighters Union provided mouth-watering refreshments for everyone, and Members of the USFSP BBQ Club grilled the hot dogs
A huge thank you to those whose generous donations made this event possible: North Pinellas Fire Explorers, ParentGuide Magazine, POOLCORP and Safe Kids USA, and kudos to the Safe Kids Coalition's Florida Safe Pools (FSP) Committee Members for their leadership. A special thank you to Wendy Loomas, Pinellas County Health Department; Pat Vines, City of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue; Teresa Przetocki, USFSP water front pool; FSP members and event co-chairs, who kept everyone focused.
