Summer is fast approaching, and it’s almost time to get those swimsuits ready. And thanks to the Nashville Dolphins program, it will be a safer swimming season for even more Nashville residents.

The Nashville Dolphins, started by Beth Scruggs in 2003, is a local nonprofit that offers safe swimming instruction and coaching to people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. They offer teaching at all levels of comfortability, from beginners who have very little, if any, experience in the water to those who are on the swim team and training for the Special Olympics.

The need for such a program can’t be understated. A sobering fact is that drowning is one of the leading causes of death for people with intellectual disabilities. Socially, there are few programs available for people 21 years old and older, which means they are often left lonely and sedentary.

Being a Nashville Dolphin improves the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and their caretakers, giving its members valuable skills, confidence, pride and the feeling of belonging to a team. And once they’re a Dolphin, they’re always a Dolphin, as the services are available to swimmers in all stages of life, and no one ages out of the team. Best of all, the entire program is completely free for all swimmers.

You can read a few success stories here.

How You Can Help

The Nashville Dolphins are always looking for help, whether you want to be an instructor in the water or an organizer helping to manage swim meets, classes and social activities. And they make it easy for you to get involved by offering all the training necessary. Instructors, called “swim whisperers,” are certified for this special kind of instruction through the Swim Angelfish Adaptive Swim Program. There’s a short introduction video to prepare potential volunteers for what they can expect, along with an application on the website here.

Of course, as the program is ever-growing and offered for free, there is always a need for financial donations. All donations provide the Dolphins with the facility, equipment, travel needs for swim meets, apparel for the swimmers and more. Nashvillians are familiar with the signature Boots & Bubbles event and this year’s inaugural Drive for Dolphins fundraiser, but the need always extends beyond those events, especially as the Dolphins hope to build their own facility, specially designed to fit the needs of all of their swimmers.

For more information on the Nashville Dolphins or to get involved, visit nashvilledolphins.org.

Photographs courtesy of Nashville Dolphins