For Manny, this is pure bliss. The splashing, the bubble-blowing, the big jumps – it doesn’t get much better than pool time at the Granite YMCA for this high-energy, big-smiling five year-old. But for Manny and his mom Kym, getting to this point was far from easy. That’s where CMF Kids – and you! – come in and make a splash.
For Manny, this is pure bliss. The splashing, the bubble-blowing, the big jumps—it doesn’t get much better than pool time at the Granite YMCA for this high-energy, big-smiling five-year-old. But for Manny and his mom Kym, getting to this point was far from easy. That’s where CMF Kids—and you!—come in and make a splash.
Manny is five years old and has bilateral microphthalmia, which means he was born without eyes. Every morning, Manny wears prosthetic eyes.
This little guy is just like any other fun-loving little kid: exuberant, active, and always ready to try something new. Besides, he’s the first to acknowledge—and quickly move on from—his disability. As Kym notes, his typical overture when he meets a new friend who is curious about his white cane is: “I’m blind. Do you want to play?”
“He’s so full of energy and is curious,” Kym says. “He wants to try everything.”
Because Manny is up for whatever, there are inherent challenges to ensure those experiences are as safe as possible. And when it comes to frolicking in the pool, one of Manny’s all-time favorite activities, finding the right option proved to be difficult.
As Manny requires focused, one-on-one instruction, group swimming lessons were out of the question. Kym had private classes lined up in 2020, but COVID hit, and everything halted. Staff shortages compounded the issue, and it was more than two years later when, finally, a class at the YMCA of Concord, a branch of The Granite YMCA became available.
“He’s so full of energy and is curious,” Kym says. “He wants to try everything.”
CMF Kids has an existing partnership with The Granite YMCA, dating back to two years ago when they provided support for special programming for children with disabilities during the height of the pandemic. This connection was rekindled for the Y’s Swim Angelfish program, which offers adaptive private and small group swim lessons for babies, toddlers, children, and adults with disabilities. Through this program, trained instructors work with swimmers and their families to not only learn to swim but instill confidence and safety around the water. Just like that, Manny had a place to swim.
“Manny’s success in swimming lessons takes a supportive instructor,” Kym says. “The safety component was my biggest drive to get him enrolled. When he gets to the Y, he listens to how sounds echo off the sides of the pool; he feels the water’s surface, tests the buoyancy and blows bubbles. Without sight, Manny is learning through sound and touch; I have the privilege of seeing a pool full of water, whereas Manny relies on us to describe everything in detail and give him opportunities to explore. Not only is Manny learning about water safety, but he is also having the time of his life in the pool. These lessons have gone even better than we expected. Liz, the instructor, is incredible. It’s been a huge success.”
Alec Decato, Aquatics Director at The Y, concurs because of a simple but massive accomplishment: “Manny is now holding his breath and going underwater. It is an incredible achievement.”
As a trained Swim Whisperer through the certified Swim Angelfish Program, Alec worked with Manny and Kym to assess, identify, and implement strategies to help Manny feel comfortable, safe, and learn to swim.
Manny’s lessons are just the beginning. Thanks to CMF Kids and to you and your fellow donors who have made this possible, more Y instructors will soon be offering more private lessons to children with special needs – children who are so, so eager to splash and play and feel safe and comfortable in water but have been unable to because the opportunities to learn weren’t there.
That’s about to change. That’s the ripple effect of your generosity.