Favian Lopez, right, helps a student get fitted for a lifejacket at a Wylde, Wind & Water educational event. WW&W Founder Fiona Wylde, and Hood River County Deputy Marine Sheriff Joel Carmody visit schools to talk about water safety and preparation. For more photos, visit columbiagorgenews.com.
Favian Lopez, right, helps a student get fitted for a lifejacket at a Wylde, Wind & Water educational event. WW&W Founder Fiona Wylde, and Hood River County Deputy Marine Sheriff Joel Carmody visit schools to talk about water safety and preparation. For more photos, visit columbiagorgenews.com.
HOOD RIVER — Fiona Wylde, the founder of Wild, Wind & Water, teamed up with Hood River County Deputy Marine Sheriff Joel Carmody to teach students about water safety awareness and preparation earlier this spring, ensuring a safer summer on the water.
The curriculum educated students about cold water, strong currents, wind, safe places to swim locally, the importance of a life jacket and how to wear it properly.
Wylde and Carmody visited all the Hood River elementary and middle schools, and Wylde visited Whitson Elementary in White Salmon. Some of the classes were taught individually, but many were a collaboration. Between the two, they visited 59 classes, and 1,460 students tried on lifejackets and were taught how to fit them properly.
Along the waterfront in Hood River, there are free lifejacket loaner stations where anyone can borrow a life jacket and then return it.
“We are seeing a massive uptick in lifejackets being used this summer, and think in large part it’s a result of the spring information campaign we jointly launched with the sheriff,” Wylde said.
WW&W also worked with The Dalles Migrant Education Summer School, teaching third through seventh graders about water safety. Additionally, they visited the Hood River Historical Museum and heard presentations by Columbia Riverkeeper, an environmental nonprofit, about the riparian ecology of Nichols Boat Basin.
The Hood River County School District's Migrant Education Program began a three-week summer camp, called "Viento y Agua," on July 29 and will conclude Aug. 15.
Ongoing
opportunities
Every Saturday morning during July and August, WW&W offers a free community stand up paddleboard (SUP) opportunity to people of all ages and abilities from 10 a.m. to noon.
“We provide all the equipment including boards, paddles, life jackets, leashes, and wetsuits,” said a press release. “The program is taught in English and Spanish, as are all of our programs.”
Every Thursday evening during July and August, in partnership with CGW2 (Columbia Gorge Wind & Water Association), WW&W offers a free introduction to the sport of Wing Foiling from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
WW&W is located on the dock east of the information booth at the Hood River Event Site off Portway Avenue in Hood River.
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