Since a drowning accident took the life of their 21-month-old son in 1989, Stew and Kim Leonard have worked to raise awareness about the importance of water safety 鈥� bringing their message to a West Hartford pool Friday morning.
Stew Leonard is CEO of the Stew Leonard鈥檚 grocery chain. The couple are also co-founders of the , which works to prevent accidental drowning deaths.
Outside a pool filled with swimmers, Kim Leonard recalled her family's tragedy.
鈥淲e were getting ready for our daughter鈥檚 birthday. And I assumed Stew was watching our son, and he thought I was watching him,鈥� said Kim Leonard. 鈥淲e never said to each other, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got him.鈥� And that would be my most important message to parents.鈥�
Everyday in the United States, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning.
For young children, the problem is particularly acute. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, .
At a press conference at Eisenhower Park in West Hartford, Kim Leonard urged parents to put down their phones and designate a 鈥渨ater watcher鈥� to keep children safe in pools and at the beach this summer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a lack of supervision, it鈥檚 a lapse of supervision,鈥� Kim Leonard said. 鈥淸We] were at a party. There were aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews around. Sometimes you can let your guard down because you think, 鈥極h, there [are] all these people 鈥� all these eyes.鈥� When you have to have a pair of eyes on that child.鈥�
In a , the state Office of the Child Advocate said nearly 40 黑料新闻 children died from drownings between 2011 and 2018.
Those deaths also highlight a racial disparity, .
鈥淚n 黑料新闻, children of color are substantially overrepresented in the population of children who die from preventable drowning deaths,鈥� said Eagan. 鈥淪ixty-five percent of all drowning deaths in 黑料新闻 between 2011 and 2018 were children of color.鈥�
Since the death of their son, the Leonards have raised more than $2 million to help train lifeguards and provide swimming lessons to children, especially kids who they said otherwise, couldn鈥檛 afford it.
鈥淲e鈥檒l do 20,000 free lessons this summer, just through the YMCAs in 黑料新闻 鈥� also [in] New York, too,鈥� said Stew Leonard. 鈥淲e really want to teach underprivileged kids how to swim.鈥�
