Zane tanabe

Hi, I’m Zane, the founder of the First Generation Swim Foundation. I started swimming when I was four years old and as I got better, I joined a swim team. Now at age 16, I play water polo (see me in the funny cap) and can’t remember a time when I could not swim. But I know that not everyone has this opportunity.

I got the idea from my former water polo coach. A four-time Olympian and gold medal winner, Coach Brenda Villa started the Menlo Mavericks water polo club in part to help under-resourced kids try water polo. I thought of how cool it would be to start my own non-profit, but I was afraid of the work to start and maintain my own foundation. However, one day I learned that the entire family of one of my best friends on the team did not even know how to swim. Without the Mavericks, my friend would not have had a reason to learn to swim. This shocking fact gave me the courage to start the First Generation Swim Foundation. The best way to not drown is to know how to swim.

And if you know how to swim, you will probably teach your own kids to swim. I’m lucky that I learned to swim at an early age. Swimming has also led me to discover competitive swimming and water polo, which I am passionate about today. My hope is that if you are the first in your family to swim, you will find the same joy in the water, and some day this may save your life or that of someone you love.

LEVI SALKIN

Hi, I am Levi Salkin and live in Brooklyn, New York. I am a sophomore at the Brooklyn Latin School and a Regional Director for First Generation Swim Foundation. I have been swimming my whole life and it has always been really important to me. My wish is for people not to fear the water and learn the very valuable lesson of swimming.