PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaiser Permanente’s Operation Splash officially kicked off at Central pool in Los Angeles with children and parents celebrating the reopening of the newly renovated public pool which had been closed for 12 years.
“Many of us are happy that it is opening again because the closest pool around is about a 15-minute walk from here,” said 17-year-old Anthony Salazar. “The timing of Operation Splash is perfect. It’s good for the kids to learn to swim and to have their neighborhood pool back,” said long-time resident Sydney Mosby.
The Central Recreation Center Pool (1357 E. 22nd Street between Washington and Adams Blvd.) was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and closed its doors in 2004. Two years ago, Central pool began a multi-million dollar renovation to the 63-hundred square foot pool that now includes a children’s splash area.
For the eleventh consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente’s Operation Splash is providing access to swim lessons for children and adults in low-income areas. Since 2006, this free summer program has been funded by Kaiser Permanente through a Community Benefit commitment that has grown to nearly $5.8 million in southern California.
“We are thrilled to kick off Operation Splash with the celebration of a newly renovated pool. What better time to take that first splash than during the summer,” said Jodie Lesh, sr. vice president, strategic planning & new ventures, Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “Kaiser Permanente is committed to making total health accessible to everyone. Teaching children and their families to swim can lead to an active lifestyle.”
In 2016, Kaiser Permanente is providing a $240,000 grant to the Department of Recreation and Parks Aquatics Division to promote physical activity among city residents. Insufficient physical activity is associated with increased risks for chronic diseases and obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that school-aged children participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. In California, 30% of adolescents, ages 12 to 17 do not participate in the recommended levels of physical activity and 7% don’t exercise at all, according to the CDC.
“Being that one-third of the population in the ninth district is under 18 years old, this is welcomed news to South L.A. families,” said Curren D. Price, Jr., councilman, City of Los Angeles. “I applaud Kaiser Permanente for implementing a potentially life-saving program that benefits poor and working-class families.”
Kaiser Permanente’s Operation Splash grant will underwrite swim lessons for approximately 6,000 children, teenagers and adults at 35 pools across Los Angeles; provide junior lifeguard scholarships for 780 youth at 47 sites; and increase participation in the Rethink Your Drink Campaign, which raises awareness about the unhealthy impacts of sugary beverages and the benefits of drinking water.
“The Department of Recreation and Parks is extremely thankful to Kaiser Permanente and LA84 for their contributions in helping to make our city healthier and more physically safe,” said Michael Shull, general manager, Department of Recreation and Parks. “Operation Splash has positively impacted the City of Los Angeles, offering free summer swim programs for thousands of youth and adults in our underserved communities as well as constant education and awareness regarding water safety. We look forward to another successful summer.”
“The LA84 Foundation, in its 30th year of funding youth summer aquatics programs, is delighted to once again partner with Kaiser Permanente to provide access to swim lessons for families who would otherwise not have access to quality swim instruction,” said Renata Simril, president and chief executive officer, LA84 Foundation. “Programs such as these not only provide health and wellness benefits but also save lives.”
Operation Splash is part of Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating, Active Living (known as HEAL) efforts to reduce obesity in the community by increasing opportunities for safe physical activity and access to healthy and affordable foods. Based on the program’s success in Los Angeles, Operation Splash expanded to six other southern California cities in 2009 bringing its total pledge in 2016, to $485,500.
Additional Operation Splash grants in 2016 include:
- City of San Bernardino, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, San Bernardino: $35,000
- City of Riverside, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Riverside: $49,500
- Desert Recreation District, Coachella Valley Recreation and Park District, Indio: $49,500
- North of the River Recreation and Park District, Bakersfield: $31,500
- City of Ventura, Community Services Department, Ventura: $25,000
- Friends of Chula Vista Parks and Recreation, Chula Vista: $55,000
Please visit the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks’ website at www.laparks.org, or call 323-906-7953 for information about participating pools in the area.
About the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Aquatics Division
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Department, Aquatics Division offers families and community members many healthy, affordable and safe aquatic activities at their public pools, lakes, and beaches. Recreation and Parks oversees 61 swimming pools, 11 lakes, and two beaches. For more information please visit www.laparks.org.
About the LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Foundation received $93 million at its inception. Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested $214 million in sports programs serving more than 3 million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. It is headquartered in the historic Britt House near Downtown Los Angeles where it houses the world’s premier sports library and meeting facilities. The Foundation provides grants to youth sports organizations, manages programs, including a coaching education program, and convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For more information, please visit www.LA84.org.
About Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 4.2 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information follow us on twitter; @KPSCALNews or go to: http://share.kp.org/scal.
