Our Initiatives
Over the next three years, Abbey’s Hope will focus on the following initiatives designed to serve our mission to keep kids safe from preventable harm.
Over the next three years, Abbey’s Hope will focus on the following initiatives designed to serve our mission to keep kids safe from preventable harm.
Hundreds of children drown or are critically injured in pool, spa and other swimming accidents each year. Educating the general public about pool and spa safety is one of the primary goals of the Foundation’s Mission. Through education, we can help improve child safety and hopefully eliminate these unnecessary injuries and deaths.
The Foundation intends to partner with local community officials (e.g., parks and recreation, fire and police departments) and businesses to host events and disseminate information in order to educate the public about swimming and pool and spa safety.
The Foundation will also seek opportunities to work with individuals, organizations, trade groups and corporations within the pool and spa industry to increase awareness of and education about pool and spa safety issues; improve the design of pool and spa products, packaging and warning labels; and assist in raising awareness of the need to develop higher product safety standards related to such products. The Foundation also intends to have a presence at various industry conferences and educational seminars, such as the World Aquatic Health Conference, in the hopes that telling Abbey’s story will raise awareness to the realities of the dangerous state of our pools and spa.
There have been countless reports in the media that highlight the serious issues surrounding the adoption and enforcement of pool and spa safety rules and regulations.
The Foundation will work to educate the public, individuals, organizations, trade groups and businesses within the pool and spa industry, as well as local and national government officials and lawmakers about the tragic state of the country’s pool safety regulations and the consequences of failing to adopt or enforce adequate pool and spa safety rules and regulations. As a part of its activities, the Foundation will reach out to state legislators, as well as state attorneys general and departments of health (or similar officials, including the Consumer Products Safety Commission) charged with enforcement authority, throughout the country, to discuss the need for up-to-date and comprehensive pool safety legislation and regulations, and the enforcement thereof.
The Foundation will also address the necessity of having state-sponsored legislation (such as Minnesota’s Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act) in addition to the recently enacted federal legislation, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, in large part because of the inability of state and local officials to adequately enforce the federal legislation.
An important part of the Foundation’s Mission is to provide funding to other 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and programs that (i) provide support, resources, opportunities and outreach programs to children and families coping with serious childhood injuries or disease, and/or (ii) focus on improving the overall health, education and well-being of children by promoting healthy lifestyles, family resiliency, the arts, education, and social and civil awareness.
The Foundation will work to identify the organizations and programs that fall within the criteria of our Mission statement, primarily focusing on local and regional organizations and will seek to partner with those organizations to participate in and/or sponsor particular programs that accomplish their exempt purpose.