“We hope to have this project completed by the end of the year,” VRS Executive Director Javier H. Lopez said. “It’s been a long process but we’re looking forward to completing it soon.”

A Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) with the county is helping the nonprofit organization with the costs associated with this necessary project.

“We need to keep our families safe, including the children and seniors that we serve,” Lopez said. “Also, there are many times when we shelter women experiencing domestic violence and having a fence will help deter anyone from trying to walk in and cause trouble.”

He said that there have been recent thefts with items stolen from the property in broad daylight since the parking lot is currently accessible from a public street. Lopez said they are hoping to install more security cameras in the near future as funding becomes available.

Bids will be accepted until noon on Nov. 15, 2024. A bid package that must be submitted with each bid can be picked up at 200 E. Menlo St. in Hemet by contacting Chet Kassotis, who is handling questions and bid walks. He can be reached at 909-725-3489. Text is the preferred method of communication.

For more information about VRS, please visit www.valleyrestartshelter.org.

The post Valley Restart seeking bids for new fencing appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

“Our main goal is to keep preventing childhood drowning,” said Tenaya Goldsmith, founder/CEO and president of Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation. “There are a lot of children who don’t have access to swim lessons, get turned away from swim lessons, and children with disabilities who are also in those groups — students in wheelchairs who don’t have the same access as other children.”

“I just firmly believe that no matter what the child’s circumstances, learning how to swim and learning how to save your life from drowning is a life skill that everyone should have,” she said.

Founded in 2015, first as Big Kahuna Swim Academy, the organization has morphed into a vigorous nonprofit eager to thwart childhood drowning through stellar community outreach and education, and water safety and swim lesson scholarships.

One of its signature beliefs is that every child should be water-safe.

“It’s amazing to be able to help a community that normally doesn’t get that these kinds of opportunities,” Goldsmith said.

Recently, the Childhood Drowning Prevention Foundation received a James Bernard and Mildred Jordan Tucker Fund grant via the Inland Empire Community Foundation. The grant was designated for the nonprofit’s Swim Lesson Scholarship Program.

While many things stand out about the organization, Goldsmith points out several initiatives drawing positive feedback. One of them is the Drowning Prevention Heroes program, a monthly initiative that launches Dec. 6.

“It’s an opportunity for our community and anyone who wants to to get involved with the organization and donate on a monthly basis,” Goldsmith said. “The program will fund our scholarships that will be given to children from low-income families.”

Low-income families, she said, are one of the group’s within the community the organization strives to serve.

“Those children, through no fault of their own, can’t go learn how to swim because their families can’t afford it,” Goldsmith said. “All somebody has to do is donate $5 a month and that’s like a Starbucks drink, right? Not even — Starbucks is like $8 now. So, for $5 a month, people can help save kids’ lives right?

“That’s the equivalent to five minutes in the water every single month that they’d be giving the child to learn how to swim,” she said.  “For every dollar someone donates every single month, that’s one minute in the water that they’re giving the child to learn how to swim. This is going to be a great program.”

Goldsmith’s passion for the work clearly shines through. After launching Big Kahuna Swim Academy as its sole proprietor seven years ago, by 2020, she saw a great need to create a nonprofit and reach more people. Preventing drowning incidents and promoting safe swimming practices became key initiatives.

In addition to its swim lesson and scholarship programs, the Norco-based organization’s volunteer program is extensive, ranging from event, administration, special projects, and marketing volunteers to viable swim instructors.

With the nonprofit’s visibility and popularity on the rise, Goldsmith notes that prior to receiving the Inland Empire Community Foundation grant, there had been longer waiting lists for families who desired swim lessons scholarships.

“The grant helped us tremendously,” she said. “And like I said, the skills we teach are life-or-death skills. Something can happen in a second. A lot of people don’t stop to think about how fast drowning can happen.”

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