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In the News
https://swimswam.com/high-school-junior-helps-one-child-at-a-time/
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HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR HELPS ONE CHILD AT A TIME
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16 Year old Maddie Haley, a high school swimmer at New Canaan YMCA, is hoping to save lives by making swimming more accessible to underprivileged children.
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BY SWIMSWAM STAFF
November 13th, 2019
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New Canaan, CT- 16 year old Maddie Haley, a high school junior and swimmer at New Canaan YMCA and New Canaan High School in Connecticut, is hoping to save lives by making swimming more accessible to underprivileged children. In the three years since Maddie formed Caps for a Cause, she has gone out to communities all over her state spreading the word about water safety and collecting and distributing gently used swim gear. Caps for a Cause has donated hundreds of swimsuits, caps, and goggles to learn to swim programs of YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and after-school programs in Connecticut. She collects donations by placing community collection boxes and gathering unclaimed lost and found items from YMCAs, libraries, and other organizations.
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“Someone at one of the local community YMCAs said that a lot of people there don’t swim because they don’t have a swimsuit, or they swim in their street clothes. I want to change that,” Maddie said. “My hope is that by making swim gear available, we can at least overcome one barrier to water safety.”
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Contact: Maddie Haley
info@capsforacause.net
www.capsforacause.net
P.O. Box 1511, New Canaan, CT 06840
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“Caps for a Cause is a great help to underprivileged kids in our communities. With multiple barriers preventing these kids from swimming, Caps for a Cause is helping make equipment not one of them.”
– Nick Dionne, Aquatics Director, Northern Middlesex YMCA, Middletown, Connecticut
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“I would like to thank Maddie Haley for donating suits, caps, and goggles to our YMCA. We have already given out the suits to kids that are in desperate need.”
—Kevin Quill, Head Swim Coach, Fairfield YMCA, Fairfield, Connecticut
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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New Canaan S​wimmer Forms Group to Help Children in Need
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New Canaan, CT- February 21, 2018- In the wake of recent pool accidents, one teen from New Canaan is taking matters into her own hands. Maddie Haley, a freshman at New Canaan High School, is making swimming more accessible to children of communities in need.
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Maddie has formed an organization, Caps for a Cause, which brings new and gently used swim gear to local community YMCAs to encourage participation in their learn-to-swim programs. She collects donations through community collection boxes, word of mouth, and social media.
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“The pool accidents I’ve read about are so sad and have made me realize how important water safety is and how quickly and quietly tragedy can happen,” Maddie said. “Every day, two kids die from drowning in the U.S., and most drowning victims come from disadvantaged homes.”
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To date, Caps for a Cause has donated 190 items to families in need, including swimsuits, swim caps, goggles, fins, snorkels, and kickboards.
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“I heard someone at one of the local community YMCAs say that a lot of people there don’t swim because they don’t have a swimsuit, or they swim in their street clothes,” Maddie said. “I want to change that.”
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Maddie believes that more kids will want to know how to swim if they have the equipment and see how fun it is.
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“I’ve loved visiting the kids and talking to them about how fun and important swimming is,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to see them in the water using our donated equipment.”
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“I come from a family of five kids, and we all took water safety classes when we were really little and then joined the swim team,” Maddie added. “Ever since then, I’ve loved the water and couldn’t imagine life without swimming.” She and her four siblings all started swim team at age 4 or 5, and now swim with the New Canaan YMCA Caimans.
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For more information, visit www.capsforacause.net or email info@capsforacause.net.
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Contact:
Maddie Haley
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