YMCA Brings Together Donors, Elected Officials and Community Partners to Celebrate Easton’s first free Water Safety Program

EASTON - River Crossing YMCA hosted donors, community partners and elected officials at the Easton branch on July 23 to celebrate the successful launch of the pilot, free Safety Around Water drowning prevention program for children in the Easton-Phillipsburg area.

Guests at the celebration included Easton Mayor Sal Panto, Vice-Mayor Frank Pintabone, lead donor Ken Termini, Children’s Home of Easton Director of Community Engagement Kristin Frampton, Keela Vincent from Family Promise of Easton, the United Way of Greater Valley’s Erin Connolly, Gayle Rodgers and Melissa Flores from Easton Rotary, as well as YMCA board members and leadership staff.

“Out of the 8,000 campers we will serve this summer at River Crossing YMCA, 30% will not test safely when they come into camp,” shared Trish Feinthel, chief operations officer for River Crossing YMCA. “That’s why it is so important to provide this program, and I thank you [the donors] for making it possible for so many Easton families to be able to participate at no cost to them. You are saving lives.”

The YMCA Safety Around Water program teaches children basic water survival skills like floating on one’s back, blowing bubbles and kicking while floating. The program introduces non-swimmers to swimming skills, but more importantly, provides the life-saving skills to avoid injury or death due to drowning. 

According to Y-USA, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children one to four years of age and is the second leading cause of death for children from five to 14 years of age. The CDC reports that there is further racial disparity in youth drowning rates, with rates 1.5x higher for black youth than white youth, and twice as high for American Indian and Native Alaskan youth than white youth. Many children in these age groups and backgrounds lack access to life-saving swim lessons, which are critical to the wellbeing of our community's children. At all YMCA branches, swim lessons and water safety programs are based on Y-USA’s Safety Around Water guidelines, ensuring that all people learn the basics of water safety.

Over 150 Easton-area children are enrolled in this summer’s free Safety Around Water program at the YMCA, with another 150 campers taking the course as well. Many of the children participating in the free program come from the Children’s Home of Easton, where children do not often get exposed to pools or water safety skills, according to Kristin Frampton, director of community engagement for the Children’s Home.

“This program has been amazing,” Frampton said at the YMCA event. “Not only are they learning life saving skills, but they are building confidence and establishing healthy, happy life memories. Thank you so much for this partnership.”

The free YMCA Safety Around Water program at the Easton-Phillipsburg branch of River Crossing YMCA is made possible by generous donors and partners including Ken Termini, CAI Fund of the United Way of the Greater Valley, Step Into Swim, Easton Rotary, Two Rivers Health & Wellness Foundation and IronPigs Charities.

The first free program of its kind in the Lehigh Valley, Safety Around Water was first offered to families in Allentown last summer at Irving and Cedar Beach community pools. Termini, who grew up attending the Allentown YMCA, approached the Y to learn how he could help provide water safety skills to children and families amidst the tragic summertime drownings that tend to take place in and around Lehigh Valley waterways. Over 270 individuals, mostly children, attended the Y’s Safety Around Water program in Allentown in 2025.

“I simply came to the Y with an idea, and they put in the thousand hours to make it possible,” shared Termini. “As satisfying as it was to kick off the program last year and see the impact the program had on so many kids, it may be even more satisfying to be part of scaling the program to another city, and watching those numbers double and triple as we grow the program. I am very grateful to the Y and our partners.”

Families interested in learning more about the free Safety Around Water program are invited to inquire in person at the Easton-Phillipsburg branch of River Crossing YMCA at 1225 W Lafayette St, Easton, PA 18042, or call (610) 258-6158.

Header image caption: Instructors teach children to float and kick in the water as part of the free Safety Around Water currently taking place at the Easton branch of River Crossing YMCA. Leaders, officials, partners and donors gathered at the Easton branch on July 23 to observe the class and celebrate the pilot program in Easton that kicked off this summer.