Pooling goodwill
Swimmingly offers affordable lessons for kids with exceptional needs
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2022 (1344 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Emilie Rae Hoeppner can’t remember a time when she wasn’t swimming.
Hoeppner grew up splashing around in the lake at her family’s cabin and took swimming lessons throughout her youth. Eventually, she became a lifeguard and swim instructor.
“There’s something very freeing about being in the water,” Hoeppner says. “It’s my favourite place to be.”
The 22-year-old St. Boniface resident shares her passion for swimming as a volunteer with Swimmingly, a non-profit organization that provides affordable and accessible one-on-one swimming instruction to children with exceptional needs.
The organization was founded in 2011 as Making Waves Winnipeg, with 10 volunteers and 10 swimmers at a single pool location. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Swimmingly had grown to include 400 swimmers and 200 volunteers at 11 pools throughout the province.
Hoeppner started volunteering as a swim instructor with Swimmingly in October 2017. Instructors assist swimmers with whatever they want to work on during half-hour lessons that take place every Saturday evening.
“It’s your job to make sure the swimmer is getting the most out of the lesson as possible, making sure they achieve the goals that they set and making sure they’re having fun,” says Hoeppner, an honours neuroscience student at the University of Winnipeg.
Hoeppner has since moved on to a supervisor role with Swimmingly, which involves co-ordinating with parents, pairing swimmers and volunteers, and ensuring that lessons are running smoothly.
“I enjoy almost every aspect of it,” she says. “I love getting to say hi to all the swimmers.
“When I was an instructor, I had a very good bond with my swimmers. I absolutely enjoy being able to teach them, getting to chat and having fun together. But I also love being able to talk to other volunteers. I have made amazing friends through this program and I still stay in touch with them.”
Hoeppner recalls a meaningful experience she had working with a swimmer whose goal was to jump into the pool’s deep end and swim by himself.
“It took about two sessions, but eventually, he was not only able to swim in the deep end but he was looking forward to it every lesson,” Hoeppner says. “I remember feeling very proud of him and feeling almost emotional that we were able to get to that point after working together. When he jumped into the deep end, I think I’ll always remember that moment.”
For Hoeppner, who also volunteers with a peer mentorship program at the U of W, giving back to the community is important.
“I feel like a part of me would be missing if I wasn’t volunteering,” she says.
The pandemic forced Swimmingly to halt its operations in March 2020, but one-on-one swimming lessons resumed earlier this month.
Swimmingly is currently looking for more volunteers. Anyone who is 16 or older is encouraged to apply by emailing admin@swimminglymb.org, calling 204-284-4954 or visiting swimminglymb.org/volunteer.
Hoeppner encourages people to get involved.
“It’s our amazing volunteers that help us run this amazing program,” she says. “You don’t need to be a swimming instructor — you just need decent swimming skills, a love of water and a love of children and you will be absolutely fantastic.”
If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.