Each year, the St. Johns Summer Swim League sponsors a philanthropic event prior to our Champs Meet. This year, the league is partnering with the Shawn D Delifus Foundation to enable their ability to fund free swim lessons to children in need. 

Shawn Delifus (AKA “The Stroke Doctor”) was a coach with the Julington Creek Loggerheads when he unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 30. Coach Shawn was known to do anything in support of motivating his swimmers, including wearing a pink tutu and Santa suit pool side. However, his reach went well beyond the pool, as he helped inspire a community. Shawn’s legacy is now being carried on by his mother, Joyce Delifus, who established the Shawn D Delifus Foundation which, in partnership with the YMCA of Jacksonville, brings the sport of swimming into the lives of children who otherwise would not experience this.

Since its founding, this completely free program has helped more than 1300 children learn how to swim. This is all too important in our region given:

• Drowning is the #1 cause of death for children aged 1 -4 and the #2 cause of accidental death in those aged 5-14
• There is an average of 11 drowning deaths each day in the United States
• In Florida there are enough children under the age of 5 that die from drowning to fill 4 preschool classrooms - with 50 reported so far in 2023

All it takes is $54 to help a non-swimmer become proficient and prevent the loss of life through drowning. Please consider donating a new pair of youth-sized goggles and/or making a monetary donation. These contributions will help give children the life-saving skill of swimming and inspire a new group of youths to develop a love for the sport our children have the privilege of enjoying locally.

https://sjssl-2023-champs-philanthropy-sharks.cheddarup.com