Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) dedicated to creating more swimmers through safe swim education, announced that the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) Foundation has become a Diamond Level supporter, thanks to a generous $100,000 donation. The NESPA Foundation presented this donation to Step Into Swim during The Pool & Spa Show powered by NESPA in Atlantic City, NJ, continuing its multi-year commitment to increasing access to lifesaving swim lessons in and around the Northeast.
“2024 was a remarkable year for Step Into Swim in the NESPA region, achieving record-breaking success in providing water safety and swim education to children in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania,” says Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines, PHTA Vice President of Partnerships & Development, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative. “Through the NESPA Foundation’s incredible dedication to our mission, we were able to invest nearly $500,000 to NESPA communities and provide 6,000 children with the lifesaving gift of swim lessons last year. We can’t wait to see what we are able to achieve together in 2025. Our continued success is made possible through the steadfast support of NESPA Executive Director Dominick Mondi and the entire NESPA Foundation board.”
The NESPA Foundation connects people with aquatic education to foster improved health and a lifelong love of aquatics. For the past two years, the NESPA Foundation has fulfilled a matching program that helps to quadruple the funding provided to Step Into Swim.
“Partnering with Step Into Swim and PHTA has been a true catalyst for the NESPA Foundation, allowing us to expand our reach and bring the lifesaving gift of swimming to even more families throughout the Northeast,” says Dominick Mondi, Executive Director of NESPA. “Rowdy’s passion and unwavering enthusiasm for this cause are truly inspiring, and we are proud to stand alongside him in this effort.”
Step Into Swim and its supporters provide the lifesaving skill of learning to swim and raise awareness of the pool and hot tub industry’s role in improving public health and safety. In 2024, Step Into Swim raised over $1.2 million, which provided grants across 43 states, Canada, Grand Cayman, and American Samoa and funded swim lessons for over 30,000 children. The initiative has gifted more than 400,000 swim lessons since 2012. Step Into Swim is funded through partner contributions, which are integral for advancing the mission. Every dollar donated goes directly to learn-to-swim programming.
