Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/86226
Sarasota News Leader October 5, 2012 The paper adds, "Fortunately, many extraor- dinary, financially-sustainable organizations have exceptional programs to attract and teach millions of people to learn to swim. … It is tragic that so many people who aspire to be swimmers — are not swimmers — yet." Thomas M. Lachocki, the CEO of the National Swimming Pool Foundation, called Dash in February to ask her about making the presen- tation next week. She's known him for about six years, she adds. "He's trusted … and he's coming from a good place" in this effort to fund swimming programs that work. Page 74 Dash probably won't know until mid-Decem- ber whether she will receive any of the grant funding, she says. Ideally, she'd like to see "an in-depth study comparing our system to others" conducted with a portion of the funds. The results of such a comparison, she points out, should make it easy to decide how to allocate the money. "Once people see it," she says of her system, "they believe it." TRUE BELIEVERS Flash back to early August: Dash and two women are sitting at Siesta Key Public Beach, Daria Ilunga (top) and Kathleen McKenna enjoy boogie boarding after working with Melon Dash this summer in Dash's Ocean 202 class. Photo by Melon Dash