annual report: BUILDING on a SOLID FOUNDATION EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES EZRA SHAW/GETTY annual report 2013 USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION | 1 About the USA Swimming Foundation: FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Bill Maxson - Board Chair Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen Dear Friends, Ron Van Pool - Secretary the sport by saving lives and building champions—in the pool and in Brendan Hansen annual report 2013 life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of We are excited to share our 2013 Annual Report with you, with the theme of “Building on a Dale Neuburger learn-to-swim through our Make a Splash initiative, or providing financial Solid Foundation.” Summer Sanders Schlopy 2013 support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide This year marks the 10th anniversary of the USA Swimming Foundation. Over the past ten Jim Wood the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. To learn more, visit years, the Foundation has grown by leaps and bounds. Carol Zaleski www.usaswimmingfoundation.org. The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative has grown to include more than Chuck Wielgus – CEO BY THE 650 Local Partners across the nation. Since its inception in 2007, more than 2.5 million kids have learned how to swim—and be safer around the water. Of those kids, more than 290,000 FOUNDATION STAFF NUMBERS About Make a Splash: have received free or reduced-cost swimming lessons. No child should be deprived of the Debbie Hesse The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national lifesaving gift of swimming lessons because of their inability to pay! Additionally, the USA Executive Director child-focused water safety campaign, which aims to provide the opportunity Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative continues to raise national awareness of the for every child in America to learn to swim. Through Make a Splash, the USA importance of learning to swim through our annual Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips Carol Arnold $5.7 MILLION Swimming Foundation partners with learn-to-swim providers and water 66, and through local and national media. Foundation Coordinator Gross revenue raised by Club safety advocates across the country to provide swimming lessons and In addition to saving countless lives, the Foundation has also built a strong base of support teams hosting a USA Swimming educate children and their families on the importance of learning to swim. for the coaches and athletes of the U.S. National Team. The USA Swimming Foundation Mariah Pearl Cunnick Foundation Swim-a-ThonTM The USA Swimming Foundation has invested millions of dollars to provide grants to qualified Local was proud to provide more than $500,000 in 2013, allowing our athletes the resources they Director of Development Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic need to represent our country in gold medal fashion. This was especially true in 2013, when partners to end drowning. To date, more than 2.5 million children have received the lifesaving gift the 51-member team dominated the World Championships in Barcelona, bringing home 31 Tina Dessart of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, medals. This type of success is virtually unheard of in a year following the Olympic Games, Make a Splash Program Manager comprised of more than 650 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit but our athletes showed us that their commitment to success has not wavered, and we are in 600,528 www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash great shape as we look forward to Rio and beyond. Jim Harvey Number of Make a Splash Local In 2014, the USA Swimming Foundation will come to the end of an aggressive three-year Chief Financial Officer Partner swim lesson enrollments strategic plan—the plan’s primary goal was to establish a solid foundation for the future of the USA Swimming Foundation. We are happy to report that we have met, and in most cases Rowdy Gaines exceeded, the bold benchmarks that we put into place back in 2011. By the end of this year, we Foundation Ambassador will work to develop a new strategic plan—outlining goals and objectives that will promise an even brighter future for the USA Swimming Foundation over the next three years. Jill Johnson 16,192 510 $309,952 THANK YOU for your partnership over the past year. YOU are saving lives and building Database Coordinator Number of scholarships provided Number of Club teams who Amount of grant funding provided champions—in the pool and in life. YOU have helped us to build our solid foundation, and to families as a result of Make a participated in a USA Swimming to USA Swimming Foundation YOU are moving our sport into the future. We’re glad to have you join us as we celebrate the Harriett Gunderson Splash grant funding Foundation Swim-a-Thon Make a Splash Local Partners successful year behind us—and the exciting ones ahead. Make a Splash Program Coordinator Sincerely, Mel Stewart National Team Alumni Ambassador Number of USA Number of medals Swimming $494,500 won by USA Foundation grants Swimming at Total amount of money given to awarded to Make a the 2013 World the coaches and athletes of the U.S. Splash Local Bill Maxson Debbie Hesse Championships National Team 51 Partners 31 Board Chair Executive Director USA Swimming Foundation USA Swimming Foundation P.S. We thank you for the support you’ve given to the Foundation over the past year, and ask 2 | BUILDING on a SOLID FOUNDATION you to join us in celebrating this very successful year. USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION | 3 spotlight on national team alumnus supporter spotlight on AMBROSE “ROWDY” TOM GAINES HOLMBERG f you’ve had the opportunity to hear Rowdy IGaines speak—either in person or as NBC’s swimming analyst—you’ve surely experienced his passion for the sport of swimming. Some people are said to bleed their team colors, but we’re pretty sure that Rowdy bleeds chlorine. As one of our sport’s most recognizable faces, and as a former National Team athlete, Rowdy knows the importance of supporting our sport from grassroots to gold medals. As an athlete, between 1978 and 1984, Rowdy set ten world records. He was a favorite for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY STOCKMAN IMAGES MATTHEW which were subsequently boycotted by the U.S. And in 1984, he won three gold medals at om Holmberg is no stranger to the sport of “swimming problem,” and reported on the tragic financial support to the USA Swimming the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, solidifying Tswimming. drowning rates in our country, particularly among Foundation to continue his support of himself as one our sport’s greatest athletes of As a teenager in the 1970s, Tom swam for children. The article profiled the USA Swimming its mission. all time. New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL and was Foundation, and asked donors to step forward “Since 2008, I have been an enthusiastic These days, Rowdy announces swim a beach lifeguard on Lake Michigan. In college, and help provide swimming lessons for kids. So supporter of the USA Swimming Foundation’s events all over the world, and is renowned he swam for William and Mary. And today, Tom Tom did exactly that. efforts to teach kids to swim and prevent for his expertise and passion. He serves as swims for the Evanston Catfish, a U.S. Masters “Because Chicago is on Lake Michigan, drowning,” Tom says. “I am happy to know Vice President of Aquatics for the YMCA of Swimming program outside of Chicago, with thousands of kids swim there each summer. that kids are learning to swim that might not Central Florida. He swims nearly every day, and drowning is tireless. understands the “building champions” aspect whom he’s competed in several USMS National And unfortunately, each summer, some kids otherwise have had the opportunity. I truly competes as a U.S. Masters swimmer—where, “Swim lessons saves lives. Those four simple of the Foundation’s work, and knows how Championships and FINA World Masters drown because they don’t know how to swim. I believe that each year we are saving lives.” by the way, he’s broken his fair share of words are something that the USA Swimming important it is to support athletes in our sport Championships. was inspired by the USA Swimming Foundation’s In addition to supporting the USA Swimming world records! Foundation has taken to heart and is spreading at all levels. “Swimming is a hard job. Believe Until the summer of 2008, Tom’s focus on mission to prevent drowning through swim Foundation as a trustee, Tom has become As an official USA Swimming Foundation this message throughout our great nation, now me—I’ve been there. Swimmers aren’t getting swimming was almost purely competitive. But lessons, and thought it was important that the focused on reviving the swimming pool and ambassador, Rowdy works with the USA and for the last ten years. I am proud to play a rich by swimming every day. We have the very then, for Tom, something changed. Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative had an developing a learn-to-swim program at General Swimming Foundation to help spread the small part as an ambassador for the Foundation top athletes in the world. They’re incredible While he watched our U.S.