Meet Carissa.
Our Rockstar.
Carissa is a little girl full of love and happiness. She has that magical ability to talk to anyone, about anything, and leave them smiling. She loves singing, dancing, shopping, dressing up, and horses.
Carissa has taken swim lessons for many years. She is a great big sister. She is responsible and smart. We are confident in her swim abilities and know she’s capable of making good, right decisions.
Why tell you this? Because on August 28th, 2015, at 9 years old, Carissa passed away due to drowning. Even though she could swim. Even though she was smart. She drowned.
She didn’t have to.
Drowning happens daily in a variety of settings and circumstances. We believe a major reason behind Carissa’s drowning is because we had not talked with her enough about the differences between swimming in a pool and a natural body of water. Carissa took swim lessons in the pool. When we went swimming, we swam at the pool. The day she drown she was swimming in a river.
In Carissa’s memory, Carissa’s Caution was created. Carissa’s Caution is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that teaches children and their families how to use Carissa’s name to find the safest place to swim in natural bodies of water. We promote conversations about various water safety aspects and drowning prevention. We remember CARISSA to prevent drowning. We hope you will, too.