Special Needs Students Receive Life Jackets for Water Therapy
Local Sea Tow Donates Life Jackets to Charlotte Harbor Center SANDS Program
CHARLOTTE HARBOR, Fla. – Through a donation from local boating service provider Sea Tow Charlotte Harbor, students with learning, physical and or emotional challenges will now have 36 life jackets to help them to participate in water therapy and other swim programs at the Charlotte Harbor Center School.
“Our overall goal is to have all our students know water safety and, for some, learn how to swim,” said Bridget Scherber, the school’s aquatic instructor. “Some of the students are afraid of the water and have never learned how to swim. With the donation from Sea Tow Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Harbor Center School will receive 36 life jackets which will allow us to better assist them in the water and our aquatics program. I can’t thank Sea Tow enough for the donation!”
Charlotte Harbor Center School has 3 separate programs for students in grades PK through 12 who have a learning, physical and or emotional challenge. All students have been identified and placed in Florida’s statewide Exceptional Student Education curriculum.
Recent studies – such as those examined by the National Institutes of Health – suggest aquatic therapy may be effective in improving the social interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other disabilities. For this reason, Captain Mike DeGenaro – owner and head captain of Sea Tow Charlotte Harbor – said he’s happy to lend a hand in whatever way he can.
“As soon as we heard about the school’s need for life jackets, we jumped on it,” DeGenaro said. “We work to help teach local boaters about the importance of water safety each and every day, so it just made sense to help pass that on to these kids. We’re just glad we could help.”
