Njswim founder joins board at Stop Drowning Now

Joe Oehme, owner and founder of New Jersey Swim Schools, Inc. and the Njswim Companies with locations in Florham Park, Warren, Sparta, Roxbury Township and Manasquan, has been appointed to a Board of Directors Position with the non-profit organization Stop Drowning Now.
Stop Drowning Now is a global nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to save lives through water safety education. Through a range of programs and events, this group works with water safety advocates by providing them with the educational tools needed to combat the epidemic of drowning. Of particular concern is providing a drowning prevention curriculum for school age children.
Oehme, a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore has been teaching water safety curriculum for over 30 years in both New Jersey and California. In 2001, he founded New Jersey's leading swim school, Njswim. As a longtime member of the United States Swim Schools Association and an advocate for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Oehme has been working on developing curriculum both in and out of the water to provide children and adults with water safety awareness.
“Since I was a young man working on ocean rescue teams and teaching swimming lessons, it has been my mission to help people to become safer in the water. As a new board member of Stop Drowning Now, I look forward to improving vital water safety education of children and adults alike. As an organization, from our national platform, we are dedicated to increasing awareness and saving lives,” said Oehme.
This year alone there were at least 30 deaths from drowning recorded in New Jersey alone. On the heels of this tragic summer, recent legislation was introduced to help provide educational curriculum for all public and private schools from Kindergarten through High School in New Jersey. The bill, A-5159 introduced by Sen. Robert Singer (R-Monmouth/Ocean) and Assemblyman Sean T. Kean (R-Monmouth/Ocean) requires school districts to provide instruction on water safety as part of New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, will require all school districts to provide instruction on water safety as part of New Jersey’s comprehensive health and physical education standards.
“Introducing a water safety curriculum in our schools is a great start to give people the education and awareness needed to make good decisions in and around the water,” Oehme said. “The best way to prevent drowning is to learn how to swim.”
From 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal, unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents. About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.
Njswim offers year-round, private and small group developmental swim lessons for people of all ages and abilities. Students enrolled in Njswim will be led through a series of safety skills that are designed to enhance the aquatic experience and instill self-confidence in a safe and positive atmosphere. Njswim offers the finest in quality, year-round swimming instruction and water safety for all ages and abilities. There are 5 locations in New Jersey: Florham Park, Roxbury, Manasquan, Sparta and Warren.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Joe Oehme at New Jersey Swim Schools, Inc. (201) 240-0434 or email at joe@njswim.com.