On Sept. 19, Bakersfield College will be hosting free swim lessons for children taught by BC’s swim coach Matt Moon.

The lessons will be first come, first serve and will last approximately 20 minutes for each participant.

The focus of each lesson will depend on the swimming capabilities of the child.

The lessons will range from basic water safety skills to more advanced stroke techniques.

When asked why he was focusing the swim lessons primarily on children, Moon stated, “I read an article and saw some alarming statistics about drowning and swimming abilities, so I wanted to utilize my knowledge and connections to help out the community.”

Moon went on to say, “According to USA Swimming Foundation ‘Make a Splash’ statistics, 10 people drown each day in the United States, and 70 percent of African American children, 60 percent of Latino children, and 40 percent of Caucasian children have low or no swimming ability.”

Moon has been promoting the event through BC’s email as well as working with Francis Mayer and the Bakersfield Aquatic Club to spread news of the event to as many people as possible.

If all goes well, Moon wants to make these swim lessons an annual or semi-annual event in order to get more people in the community to be water safe.