We spend all winter looking forward to long, sunny days. Then finally summer arrives, bringing some beautiful weather. But summer also can bring dangerous storms with flooding, tornadoes, and lightning. Last Thursday in Duluth, Minnesota, a severe thunderstorm rolled through in the early morning hours. Winds were clocked at over 80 mph in some parts of the region. Local TV and radio stations were knocked off the air. Residents awoke to trees and power lines all over the ground. Yesterday it was reported there were still 7000 homes and businesses without power, five long days after the storm. Imagine if this had happened to your organization in the middle of the day. Are you prepared?

…continue reading the rest of Severe Storm Knocks Out Power for Days

Posted in Weather, Childcare, Events, Facility Maintenance, Summer Camp, Youth Programs | Comments 0

Last year at a summer camp in North Carolina, a 12-year-old girl fell more than 40 feet to her death when a tether attaching her to the camp’s zip line snapped. The camp had dual zip lines and somehow the lines became tangled. Her tether essentially melted from the friction. 

…continue reading the rest of Camper Loses Her Life in Tragic Zip Line Accident

Posted in Events, Summer Camp, Youth Programs | Comments 0

Take a kid to a party with a bounce house and chances are you won’t see them for long. Most kids are thrilled to jump and flip in these inflatables for hours. Bounce houses and other inflatables seem to be at every church picnic and child birthday party, providing endless entertainment for kids and even adults. However, injuries are on the rise and some of these injuries can be life threatening.

…continue reading the rest of Bounce Houses: Growing in Popularity and Serious Injuries

Posted in Childcare, Events, Facility Maintenance, Summer Camp, Youth Programs | Comments 0

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death of children ages 1-5. Additionally, research shows that children who do not learn to swim by the 3rd grade most likely never will. These two issues are the inspiration for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, an initiative sponsored by the World Waterpark Association and supported by the PoolSafely campaign.

Yesterday’s attempt at a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest swim lesson saw an estimated

…continue reading the rest of The World's Largest Swim Lesson

Posted in Aquatics, Events, Time-Sensitive | Comments 0

Posted in AYP, Bill Ester, Bonnie Blair, Events, Time-Sensitive, YMCA Conference | Comments 0