NESPA Foundation Expands Partnership with Step Into Swim Drowning Prevention Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2025

Media Contacts:
Amy Willer
Director, Content and Communications
703-838-0083, ext. 121 | awiller@phta.org

Kelly McKelvey
Director, Communications & Marketing
609-689-9111 | kmckelvey@nespapool.org

NESPA FOUNDATION EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH STEP INTO SWIM DROWNING PREVENTION INITIATIVE
$100,000 donation provides access to water safety education and swim lessons in the Northeast region

(Alexandria, Va.) — Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) dedicated to creating more swimmers through safe swim education, announced that the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) Foundation has become a Diamond Level supporter, thanks to a generous $100,000 donation. The NESPA Foundation presented this donation to Step Into Swim during The Pool & Spa Show powered by NESPA in Atlantic City, NJ, continuing its multi-year commitment to increasing access to lifesaving swim lessons in and around the Northeast.

“2024 was a remarkable year for Step Into Swim in the NESPA region, achieving record-breaking success in providing water safety and swim education to children in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania,” says Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines, PHTA Vice President of Partnerships & Development, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative. “Through the NESPA Foundation’s incredible dedication to our mission, we were able to invest nearly $500,000 to NESPA communities and provide 6,000 children with the lifesaving gift of swim lessons last year. We can’t wait to see what we are able to achieve together in 2025. Our continued success is made possible through the steadfast support of NESPA Executive Director Dominick Mondi and the entire NESPA Foundation board.”

The NESPA Foundation connects people with aquatic education to foster improved health and a lifelong love of aquatics. For the past two years, the NESPA Foundation has fulfilled a matching program that helps to quadruple the funding provided to Step Into Swim.

“Partnering with Step Into Swim and PHTA has been a true catalyst for the NESPA Foundation, allowing us to expand our reach and bring the lifesaving gift of swimming to even more families throughout the Northeast,” says Dominick Mondi, Executive Director of NESPA. “Rowdy’s passion and unwavering enthusiasm for this cause are truly inspiring, and we are proud to stand alongside him in this effort.”

Step Into Swim and its supporters provide the lifesaving skill of learning to swim and raise awareness of the pool and hot tub industry’s role in improving public health and safety. In 2024, Step Into Swim raised over $1.2 million, which provided grants across 43 states, Canada, Grand Cayman, and American Samoa and funded swim lessons for over 30,000 children. The initiative has gifted more than 400,000 swim lessons since 2012. Step Into Swim is funded through partner contributions, which are integral for advancing the mission. Every dollar donated goes directly to learn-to-swim programming. To learn more, visit www.stepintoswim.com.

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About the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and Step Into Swim™:
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), a non-profit organization with 4,000 members from around the world, was established in 1956 to support, promote, and protect the common interests of the $62B pool, hot tub, and spa industry. PHTA provides education, advocacy, standards development, research, and market growth initiatives to increase our members' professionalism, knowledge, and profitability. Additionally, PHTA promotes the use of pools by expanding swimming, water safety, and related research and outreach activities aimed at introducing more people to swimming, making swimming environments safer, and keeping pools open to serve communities. For more information, visit www.phta.org.

Step Into Swim^™ is an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and its foundation committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. By investing in the next generation of swimmers through learn-to-swim programming, the Step Into Swim initiative instills confidence, empowers long-term participation in water activities, touts the positive benefits of water play, and advocates for safe practices. Since its inception in 2012, Step Into Swim has played a role in reducing drowning fatalities and has gifted swim lessons to more than 400,000 children with support from community organizations, partners, industry advocates, members, and more. For more information, visit www.StepIntoSwim.org.

About the Northeast Spa & Pool Association:
The Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA - www.nespapool.org) is the Northeast affiliate of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). Founded in 1958, the nonprofit association represents the pool and spa industry in the Northeast and serves members through extensive training programs, safety campaigns, networking events, and compliance education. NESPA also produces the largest tradeshow in the Northeast focused exclusively on the pool and spa industry. Find out more details about The Pool & Spa Show at www.ThePoolSpaShow.com.