MYN MEDIA—July 25, 2024—In 2022, several of New York City’s swimming pools remained closed or operated under reduced hours due to a shortage of lifeguards, all while there was a disproportionate rate of children in communities of color who did not know how to swim. That’s when the Citywide Lifeguard & Aquatics Taskforce was created, a collaborative initiative that includes multiple city agencies and nonprofit organizations to address the lifeguard shortage and create access to swim safety and instruction for children.

New York Nonprofit Media caught up with Sharon Greenberger, president and CEO of YMCA of Greater New York, Kevin Moran, chief school operations officer at the Department of Education, and Dennis M. Walcott, president, and CEO of the Queens Public Library, who all co-chair of the task force. The trio have worked together in the past and collaborated on the task force to tackle the lifeguard shortage and lack of access to swim safety and instruction.

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