| Paddle and Paint Camp Event Description: In the Summer of 2003, PlaySmart ran a six-week swimming and art camp at the University of New Orleans Aquatics Center. Ashley Tappin, a former Olympic swimmer, directed the swim instruction. Richard Thomas, a renowned local artist directed the art program. The School was broken down into two three-week sessions during which kids participated three days per week. Each day of the program, the kids swam for an hour and then worked on art projects for an hour, with lunch in between. Approximately 50 different kids participated in the program. 35 kids had 100% attendance. None of those 35 had any water survival skills in the beginning of the program. In the end, 34 of them could swim. We also discovered youngsters with considerable art talent which we hope to nurture by getting them involved in Richard's Youth Art Academy. PlaySmart intends to make this an annual event. We’d like to thank Ashley Tappin and Richard Thomas for making the program possible. Also, thanks to Joe Baker of the New Orleans Saints and PlaySmart Director, for engineering this program. |