Long Beach City College Foundation, in partnership with the California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center (DBA: Pools of Hope), kicked off a six-week Summer Wellness Camp at no cost to support holistic learning and improve access to swim lessons and youth development activities for 150 children that are low-income and disadvantaged on our Liberal Arts Campus. Long Beach City College Foundation is committed to identifying key partners for our brand new state-of-the-art Athletic Facilities that align with the equity initiatives outlined in the college’s strategic plan strategies, including inclusive, supportive, innovative, and synergistic opportunities and programs.  

The Summer Wellness Camp is an expansion of the Summer Swim Program that was funded by the Miller Foundation in 2022. With guidance and introduction from The Munzer Foundation, LBCC fostered a partnership with Pools of Hope to implement the summer swim camp in 2022. Our organizations successfully collaborated to provide summer swim opportunities for 50 youth from North Long Beach on the LBCC campus. The expansion for this year enhanced the collaboration between LBCC and Pools of Hope, natural partners that share a vision of improving outcomes for youth from disadvantaged areas of Long Beach. The partnership presents an excellent opportunity to again introduce and enhance critical swim skills for North Long Beach youth, and provide engaging aquatic activities and lifesaving swim skills. This year, in addition to swim lessons, the expanded programming will include land-based physical games and academic enrichment activities each day. Not only will this program ensure that at-risk youth learn lifesaving water-safety skills and become proficient at swimming but they will experience a more holistic and structured day camp program including the academic component run by a 25-year credentialed educator. Through this unique partnership, these youth are given the opportunity to experience Long Beach City College at an early age which allows them to set goals for their future as college students. 

As families face significant barriers in accessing affordable activities and child-care options for families in need, LBCC Foundation is excited to offer a program that supports the underserved population in our community. “As an agent of transformational leadership, programs that deliver equity are close to my heart. By providing access to our Summer Swim Program, we are taking steps toward supporting opportunities for our community that make a difference. Children of Color are often significantly impacted by the historical lack of accessibility to pools and quality swim programs and these scholarships can save lives.” -Dr. Mike Muñoz, Superintendent-President. 

The Long Beach City College Summer Wellness Camp has been expanded and generously funded this year by The Munzer Foundation, The Miller Foundation, The Aquatic Capital of America Foundation, and LBCC Athletics. Funding from these foundations will support the programming of this camp, as well as support LBCC Athletics and student-athletes who provided the use of facilities at a significantly reduced rate, guaranteed facility reservations, and provided support from LBCC coaches and student-athletes for the camp activities. As a direct recipient of support, LBCC Athletics receives strong, successful, and supportive backing from the LBCC Foundation as the primary fundraising arm. As we support our community we continue to commit to supporting our student-athlete population through immediate and long-term support.  

For more information regarding LBCC Athletics please contact Gina Mascaro, at gmascaro@lbcc.edu. 

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