BY MATT HERSH
When Nolan McGrath, 5, got out of the swimming pool at the Salem Boys & Girls Club on Friday, March 23, he couldn’t stop saying thank you.
McGrath, who has been diagnosed with autism, was one of 10 young children with disabilities who paired up with teenage members of the community service-based Keystone Club to take part in the first meeting of the Different Strokes swim program.
Each teen, along with swimming instructor Missy Rowell, spent time showing their partner how to be comfortable in the water and teaching basic swimming techniques.
Due to the different disabilities and skills of each child, the program will likely focus on individual lessons rather than group activities, Rowell said.
The program is scheduled to run every Friday at 4:30 p.m. for six weeks but may be extended, Rowell said.
During the hour-long session, children with disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism, could be seen smiling as they splashed about, learned to use kick boards and bonded with their partners.
Rowell, a certified life guard who taught a disabled swimming class several years ago, said she was happy to see the Different Strokes program get underway.
“I’ve wanted to start a program like this for years, but I didn’t know where to get the volunteers,” she said.
After talking it over with Keystone activities advisor Israel Lerriu, she had a handful of eager, willing teens who wanted to help out.
Once she advertised the program in several newspapers and publications, the interest from parents was overwhelming.
Though Rowell screens each applicant to make sure they meet the criteria of having a disability barring them from taking traditional swimming lessons, the number of eligible children is high. The program currently can only accommodate 10 children but Rowell said there’s a waiting list growing in length.
Rowell attributes the high demand to the program’s ability to provide much-needed activity for children with disabilities. Several parents who attended the session agreed.
“It’s really difficult to find groups like this,” said Candy Fuller, a parent from Derry whose 4-year-old daughter, Leah, has cerebral palsy. “This is therapeutic, recreational, and it’s with other kids.”
While most of the time Leah is forced to do activities alone, Fuller said Different Strokes will provide an important social connection to other children with disabilities.
Though there was some uncertainty from a few nervous participants, most of the children immediately bonded with their partners.
Nathan Dyer, a 6-year-old boy with Down syndrome, spent most of the hour-long session clinging to his partner, who encouraged him to try some swimming moves.
“He loves the water but doesn’t know how to swim,” said his father, Chris Dyer, as he watched from the pool side. “This is a way for him to overcome his fears.”
Another child had so much fun that he didn’t want to get out of the pool when the hour was over, attempting to jump back in multiple times until his partner, Zack Martin, 16, assured him he could come back next week.
Lerriu said this kind of interaction is what being involved in the Keystone Club is all about.
“It will teach them leadership skills and the group will become closer together,” he said. “They’re doing something good for the community. These kids are not self-serving.”
For more information, call the Salem Boys & Girls Club at 898-7709.