New Jersey Statewide Bathing Suit and Goggle Drive 2024

Swimsuits lead to swim lessons! Swim lessons save lives!!

Join the 2024 Effort!
NEW Bathing suits and goggles collected will be distributed to children who need them. Click the banner below to see where you can donate!

This year’s campaign will be held from Memorial Day Weekend through August 15, 2024, at NJ based aquatic facilities, swim schools, competitive swim venues, recreation departments, waterparks and more. You can lead a Bathing Suit and Goggles collection at your facility. Be imaginative. Offer a special day, special pricing, or a unique approach to promoting this drive. Perhaps a Guest Pass for every bathing suit and goggle donation? Perhaps, entry into a raffle for a season pass for each bathing suit and goggle donated? No aquatic venue, no problem. Collect at concerts, movies and camps! We’ll leave the creativity to you.

Register today to be a part of this campaign. Let us help you by supporting your efforts! Register with Judith Leblein Josephs, NJRPA Bathing Suit Campaign Chair and NJSSA Board Member by email. List your agency and the contact information for your staff person leading the effort. Let’s break the 1800 record and help NJ kids get access to swim lessons and ultimately save lives.

Register by emailing: [email protected]
Questions? 732-319-5814

Did you know?
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 4. Did you know that in New Jersey we lose an average of 10 children to drowning each year? Swimming lessons are essential to the safety of children, especially in under-resourced communities. Without proper swim attire, children cannot gain access to swim lessons, or for that matter public swim facilities without a bathing suit.

Children swimming in natural water without proper swim attire greatly increases this risk. For many of us, it is hard to imagine not having a simple piece of clothing like a bathing suit. This effort helps remove a barrier to swimming in under-resourced communities by providing a Proper Swim Attire. Join NJSSA, NJRPA, and Dolfin Swimwear in this important effort!

Find out more about the sponsors & drowning prevention education by visiting the websites below:
www.njrpa.org
www.njsafeswimsa.org
www.dolfinswimwear.com

 

Contact:  Judith Leblein Josephs at [email protected] to register to be a part of this worthwhile effort.

David is the Founder and President of National Safety Training Center and its predecessor companies – Elite Tactical Academy and Mine Brook Search & Rescue, Inc.  He is  a seasoned business leader and public safety education expert. He currently focuses on running this large training center and keeps active teaching both provider level classes and many instructor level classes.

He holds numerous certifications including:

  • American Red Cross Instructor / Trainer
    • BLS / ALS / PALS
    • Lay Rescuer
    • Lifeguarding
    • Babysitting
  • American Heart Association Training Center Faculty
    • BLS
    • HeartSaver
  • National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Instructor
    • Tactical Emergency Casualty Care
    • Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support
    • Mental Health Resilience Officer
    • Psychological Trauma in EMS Patients

 

David has previously worked as a Red Cross employee in 2 roles:

  • Public Safety Instructor for the Northern VT Chapter – teaching corporate classes for the Red Cross
  • Lifeguard Instructor / Trainer / Educator for the National Association – Teaching the Instructor / Trainer Academies to create new Lifeguard Instructor / Trainers.

 

David lives in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater NJ with his family who are also active in the Public Safety Training / Medical training business. He is a local volunteer Firefighter / EMT, something he has been doing since 1984! David also serves as a volunteer in the US Coast Guard on a specialized deployable communications team.

Jon Siegel is the Head Age Group Coach at Cougar Aquatic Team in Montclair NJ and currently the Senior Coaches Rep for NJ Swimming LSC. Prior to that Jon  served as Senior Director of Competitive Aquatics at the Madison Area YMCA (MAY). During his tenureat MAY he helped design and oversee the construction of their new FM Kirby Aquatic Center, directed outdoor programming during the pandemic and acted as Senior Aquatic Director to bring the aquatic department back online. Over his coaching career, which has spanned 30+ years, Jon spent nine-and-a-half-years with the Montclair YMCA Dolphins as their Director of Competitive Aquatics, eight years as Head Coach at the Madison Area YMCA, three years at the West Essex YMCA, and a year as an Assistant Coach at the Summit Y. In addition, he has coached the Livingston Aquajets, Berkeley Heights Streamliners, Minisink Manta Rays and Morristown Beard High School. Jon is an ASCA Level 5 Swim Coach and was selected as the Head Coach of the NJ Swimming All Star Zone Team in 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008, and as an assistant coach at Zones in 2000, 2003 and 2023. Jon also coached USA Swimming’s Eastern Zone Select Camp in 2006. Jon’s swimmers have competed in all levels of swim competition including Olympic Trials and an alumni to the Olympics. In addition to coaching, Jon has years of service to various swim boards and committees which include working on the New Jersey YMCA Swim League Executive Committee, New Jersey Swimming Board of Directors, and on the USA Swimming National Communications Committee and the National Camps Committee. John looks forward to bringing his extensive swim knowledge and experience to the Nj Swim Safety Alliance.