Lexington mother launches nonprofit Saturday to prevent child drowning deaths after losing her son
More About Standards launched Saturday in Lexington with a focus on drowning prevention education, swim scholarships, and resources for parents and caregivers.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW via LEX NEWS) – A Lexington mother is turning the loss of her son into a mission to keep other children safe around water.
Alexandria Stewart founded More About Standards in memory of her son, Michael Alexander Stewart, who drowned in a lifeguarded HOA pool in 2017.
“Swim lessons, swim skills, floating skills, those are life-saving skills for the rest of their lives, so learn from me,” Stewart said.
More About Standards, or MAS, is a Lexington-based nonprofit focused on drowning prevention through education, advocacy and community engagement. MAS wants to expand access to water safety education and swim instruction, while giving parents and caregivers practical tools to help keep children safe in and around water.
The nonprofit publicly launched Saturday at Goldfish Swim School on Nicholasville Road. The Goldfish Swim School team gave a water safety presentation, followed by remarks from Stewart and Goldfish Swim School owner Theresa Carnes. Families were also able to participate in an open swim.
“So drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one through four, and the second leading cause of death for children ages five to 14, so learning how to swim is not a seasonal sport. It is a year-round commitment,” Carnes said.
Safe Kids Fayette County provided water safety materials — such as a water watcher card — for adults who agree to watch children in the water without distractions.
Families were asked to donate $20, with proceeds going toward swim lesson scholarships for Kentucky children in need.
“The website MoreAboutStandards.org is filled with National Drowning Prevention Alliance materials from going on vacations, what you should look for to preparing babysitters, grandparents, caregivers, to protecting the home, and we also offer swim scholarships right now,” Stewart said.
The goal of the organization is simple: give more Kentucky families the knowledge and access they need to help prevent drowning tragedies.
