YMCA of South Florida's Beach Ball 2025 Aims to Combat Florida's Child Drowning Crisis

The YMCA of South Florida will host its annual Beach Ball Gala on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, with the event themed Olympian Tides. The gala, which begins with The Gathering at 6:30 PM followed by The Feast and The Bacchanalia, aims to raise critical funds for the organization's water safety and drowning prevention initiatives. Title sponsor Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and presenting sponsor Nicklaus Children's are supporting the event that brings together more than 600 community leaders and supporters.

All proceeds from the Beach Ball Gala will support financial assistance for the YMCA's aquatics programs, including free and subsidized swim lessons for underserved youth, wet and dry safety lessons, Swim for Jenny programs, and resources for families to prevent drowning tragedies. Florida leads the nation in child drownings across all age groups, with Broward and Miami-Dade counties reporting the highest number of drowning deaths in the state. According to statistics, at least 40% of children have little or no swimming ability, a figure that rises to 64% among some minority populations.

The importance of these programs is underscored by research showing that formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%. For every child who loses their life to drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. The YMCA's swimming programs annually teach more than 50,000 children and adults drowning prevention and water safety techniques, with many lessons funded through the organization's Aquatic Financial Assistance Program to ensure accessibility regardless of financial circumstances.

YMCA of South Florida CEO Sheryl A. Woods emphasized the critical nature of their mission, stating, "Because every life saved is a victory we all share, we must keep funding and improving our programs to continue providing swim lessons and water safety education to more children and their families." The organization also highlights the danger of underwater hypoxic blackout, which occurs when individuals playing breath-holding games experience accidental blackout leading to rapid drowning. This risk affects people of all ages and poses an even greater threat to strong swimmers.

The YMCA's comprehensive approach includes an eight-lesson drowning prevention program where children learn water safety skills, along with a Mobile Aquatics program that travels to low-income neighborhoods to teach water safety to children and their caregivers. Additional supporters for Beach Ball 2025 include Brown & Brown Insurance, Bacardi USA, Publix Super Markets Charities, Related Group, Milner, Spirit Airlines, Ryder, Club Med, ANF, Matrix, Gulf Building, JM Family Enterprises and Royal Caribbean Group. For more information on Beach Ball 2025, including sponsorships and tickets, please visit https://ymcasouthflorida.org/beach-ball/.