Beat the heat with SOWimming! OSCI and volunteers organized swimming lessons for SOW Kids

Amidst the scorching heat and rising heat indexes, Filipinos opt to cool down by going to resorts and beaches. On 1 June 2024, 20 children, ages 6 to 17, were treated once again to swimming lessons at the Ateneo College Swimming Pool. A majority of these kids are regular attendees of the monthly reading sessions held every third Sunday of the month from Solidarity with Orphans and Widows (SOW), located at Ina ng Lupang Pangako Parish, Barangay Payatas in Quezon City. The Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI) along with various volunteers from the SOW Reading Sessions organized this year’s swimming activity. This was the kids’ second time having swimming lessons at Ateneo, with the first one being back on 21 May 2023. 

During the swimming day, the kids were divided into groups, with each having supervising coaches and volunteers. Nicole Danielle Eijansantos and Laarni Refolledo coached the group composed of children who were five to eight years old. Mark Morta and Althea Baluyot handled the group who were nine to ten years old. Tom Dela Cruz, a librarian from Rizal Library, instructed the last group, ages 11 to 17.

Eijansantos, a graduating senior from 4 BS Legal Management and currently serving as the secretary-general of OSCI’s Student Volunteer Center, extended invitations to all the coaches who are affiliated with Bert Lozada Swim School.

During the two-hour swimming session, the kids were able to learn basic swimming skills such as breathing, floating, coordination, kicking, and strokes. The kids were also provided with swimming equipment such as goggles, kickboards, and swimming caps. After the session, the kids and their guardians were also treated to a lunch of fried chicken and monggo. As the day came to a close, the children departed from Ateneo de Manila University campus with their hearts brimming with joy from their enjoyable swimming lessons. The kids’ guardians were also incredibly supportive and grateful for the event.

The event’s success would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the Higher Education Cluster’s Physical Education Program, donors, coaches, and volunteers who generously offered their time, energy, and resources to collectively provide the children with a fun and unforgettable experience this summer.