Award Winners

Shauna Robinson

In the Spring, 2024 school semester Shauna helped created at water safety program for the K-6 elementary school library at Nathan Hale Elementary, Mesa Public Schools. She processed over 150 book titles related to water safety that were donated to the library for circulation. Highlighted these books for the 6 weeks of the library program. She also set up and coordinated a classroom set of Stewie the Duck for the 1st teachers to check out and use to implement the DPCA 1st Curriculum Water Safety is for you. As librarian Shauna also made available at classroom set of Josh the Otter. She meets with every class K-6 for 30 minutes per week. She tailored water safety messaging to students base on age level and sent home water safety information with all of her students. (A-Adults & Drain Covers, B-Barriers, C-Classes, C-CPR, C-Coastguard approved lifejackets, C-Canals) Even posing 5th & 6tgh grade students discussions on what to do if they baby sit or watch siblings. Every student went home with a Water Watcher tag from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. The program kicked off on April 1st for April Pools' Day and ended on #WearYourLifeJacket to workday. She made 500 paper life jackets out of paper bags and had students decorate them with water safety messaging. The students had an all-school assembly with Mesa Fire and a Lifeguard from the Ross-Farnsworth YMCA. 1st Graders & Kindergarteners who participated in the library program, the Water Safety is for You Curriculum, and checked out water safety books were entered into a drawing for prizes, some of which included swimming lessons. Shauna is working with a DPCA board member to write-up a program guide and compile a book list to be made available on the DPCA website. Overall, this program was approximately $5,800.00 to implement. Shauna put an untold number of hours into implementing the program both on the clock and off the clock. She got volunteers from her family, friends, church, and students parents to assist which also allowed her the opportunity to educate these volunteers on water safety. While the reach of students was approximately 500 and the staff and volunteers were another 40-50 people, there is no calculating the true reach of how far the water safety information she spread went.

Stacey McRae

Stacey is always talking to those around her explaining the importance safety around water. Many times Stacey has shared her views on the local news about the necessity of pool fences, safe floatation devices, getting children into swim lessons and the importance about swim safety in general. Stacey has been funding families to get swim lessons through donations and is generally concerned about the children in her community being safe around water. Stacey has been an advocate in water safety after losing her child to drowning and it has not been easy putting herself out there after such a tragic loss to her family. Knowing Jessica Curtis personally and the tragedies that affected her family, I know if Jessica was still with us, she would be honored that Stacey received this award for her dedication to keeping children safe around water.

Lori Thompson

Lori is an amazing advocate for drowning prevention not only through her words but through her actions. She has a heart and passion to see the children learn to swim and be safe around water. Four years ago, our community pool here in Payson, AZ was closed. With no sight of a pool in the near future, Lori work closely with a local private County Club to open swim lessons throughout the summer. Group Lessons were offered for infants through school age children. Approximately 150 to 200 non swimmers took to the water and learned a life saving skill due to Lori and her love for the safety of children. Furthermore, Lori works with children privately in lessons, trains lifeguards and swim instructors, arranges drowning prevention awareness clinics, and much more to provide swimming safety in our community.

Jodi Layton

Jodi Layton, single handedly leads the top water safety prevention initiatives in the Pima county area. She trains her staff to the highest level of professionalism to promote water safety through prevention and education across all 150 members of her life guard team. While doing this, she actively participates in DPCOA events and other community events to promote awareness. She partners with other agencies like the local fire departments, city of Tucson and TMC Safe kids to attend events to help get the word out about water safety. She is the go to person south of the phoenix valley to go to about materials for water safety as well as the most current and up to date reporting on incidents. Jodi continually puts an amazing emphasis and spotlight on keeping Pima county and the surrounding areas safe.

University of Arizona Campus Recreation and the African-American Museum of Southern Arizona

Through authentic collaboration, Campus Recreation partnered with the African American Museum of Southern Arizona to create a grant funded opportunity to offer free swim lessons to for African American youth in the Tucson Community. Beverly Elliott, the executive director of the museum, developed a grant proposal along with Kimberlee Avant, a Founder, Advisory Board Member of the museum based on research compiled by Drake Belt from a presentation he did at NIRSA Annual Conference in 2019. This grant brought 80 African American youth to Campus Recreation for free swim lessons. Campus Recreation’s Assistant Director of Aquatic Operations, Daniel Hepfer, reserved spaces and developed equity training for student staff to understand the historical barriers that were placed on the black community regarding water safety. The museum bought swim bags Daniel’s team distributed at the first lesson to those involved that included towels, goggles, swimsuits, and flip flops to decrease any costs associated with this initiative. The partnership developed while Drake Belt was on a tour at the museum with Beverly and saw a video interview with Elgie Mike Batteau who helped integrate the swimming pools at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona used to require a water competency test out to graduate but did not allow black students to utilize the swimming pools. This is a nation-wide epidemic that has led to black children drowning at drastically higher rates than their white counterparts. This program was co-developed to offer integrated swim lessons for youth in a pool that would not have allowed such a program to exist that hopes to create a culture to combat the higher drowning rates in the black community.

Colleen Sikora

Colleen's dedication to drowning preventions evidence in her efforts to keep the issue reelevate the news. By consistently covering stories from different perspectives, she ensures that the community remains informed and aware of the importance of water safety. her comprehensive approach to drowning prevention is reflected in her interviews with experts on CPR, water safety for both children and adults, and all aspects of water safety. Her reporting ensures that the community has access to valuable information and resources.

Sgt. Jason Gilchrist, MCSO

For the past 23 years, Sgt. Jason Gilchrist has worked for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Gilchrist is a ROV Unit Supervisor/Operator with 115 drowning victim recoveries as of September 2024. The MCSO Lake Patrol Division first added the ROV to Dive Operations in 2009. Over the last 15 years, he has conducted ROV missions in the following locations/jurisdictions, assisting in missing persons, drowning, and evidence investigations: Tempe Town Lake, Pinal County, Arizona City, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Apache Junction, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gila Bend, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Greer, the F.B.I., Central AZ Project Canal, and Lake Powell for the U.S. Parks Service. Sgt. Gilchrist has been recognized as an industry leader in ROV/Public Safety operations. He has participated in over 1,100 evidence search mission deployments. As a result, he has been invited to speak at several watercraft law enforcement conferences and has conducted demonstrations and case studies. Sgt. Gilchrist puts his life on the line every time he suits up and conducts a recovery or evidence investigation. He certainly meets the criteria as an individual who consistently upholds the tenets of the Linda Kirby Award: Willing, Attentive, Tenacious, Enthusiastic, and Resourceful.

Michele Long

Michele's dedication to water safety has profoundly impacted thousands of children and families across Arizona. Her tireless efforts in raising awareness and educating parents and caregivers have been crucial in preventing drownings. By engaging the community, she not only spreads vital information but also fosters a culture of safety around water. Michele’s commitment to this cause exemplifies the profound impact one individual can have in promoting safety and saving lives. Michele has focused her career on drowning prevention efforts through the promotion of education and awareness. Throughout her long career with Mesa Fire and Medical Department, Michele has given countless hours of her time to promote the message of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. As part of DPCA and of MFMD, Michele provides invaluable insight and a connection between families who are impacted by drowning and the first responders on scene. Michele’s contributions extend beyond Arizona through her involvement with the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), showcasing her commitment as a champion for water safety. Her unwavering dedication and impactful work truly make her deserving of this award!

City of Scottsdale Aquatic Management Team

Scottsdale Aquatics always has water safety in mind. Its vision statement is “everyone learns to swim.” This summer was the first time they were able to offer a new program called Shark Start for kids 10-12 years old who have an interest in aquatics and want to learn more about the importance of water safety and lifeguarding. This program will provide a bridge between our learn-to-swim lessons and the Junior Lifeguard volunteer program, helping to continue to advocate for water safety. Advocating for water safety is their number one priority and will continue to be as they plan and innovate for the future.

Noah Dueker

Noah Dueker works for the Chandler Police Department and is part of the #WaterYouDoing campaign, which historically was a fire and aquatics partnership. Since Noah’s police involvement, the City’s Public Safety Fair now includes aquatics representation and a backyard/pool safety checklist. A drowning presentation is now part of the City’s guardianship academy too. When interviewing with council members, he states the importance of a swim buddy by saying, "I would never go into a dangerous situation alone, and neither should you." Noah also represents Chandler PD at all of Chandler's water safety events and also brings in Chandler PD's cadets to help educate the public. He is a huge asset to preventing drownings in our community.

Sarna O'Brien - City of Goodyear Communication Graphic Artist

Sarna continues to create water safety graphics to include in the City of Goodyear's monthly magazine that is distributed to more than 50,000 residential and commercial addresses in Goodyear. She also creates digital / social media graphics for water safety awareness and drowning prevention. Fire is grateful for her dedication to promoting fire and life safety information that in turn keeps our community safer. The July 2023 InFocus magazine back cover was dedicated to DPCA, water safety and drowning prevention. Thank you for the opportunity to recognize silent partners that spend countless hours behind the scenes who truly make a difference.

Robert Marske

Deputy Robert Marske, a dedicated Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy for 18 years, stands as a deserving nominee for the Jessica Curtis Water Safety Advocate Award. With a significant portion of his career spent in the Lake Patrol Division, he has witnessed the unfortunate toll of fatal drownings and boating accidents. Though his role is often focused on recovery, Rob has made it a personal mission to spread water safety awareness within his community. Leveraging his position, he proactively educates colleagues and the public on new water safety laws and regulations, collaborating with organizations like Arizona Game and Fish. Notably, Rob's contributions extend to hosting presentations, supporting events like Water Safety Awareness Days, and volunteering for Peoria Winter Water Safety Day and Polar Plunges. His commitment to water safety, both professionally and personally, make him a remarkable candidate for this esteemed award.

Valley of the Sun YMCA

Valley of the Sun YMCA has made it their priority to keep pools safe for 2023 and years to come. In March 2023, VOS opened all 10 of their pools to offer free swim lessons and serve a large range of community members around Arizona including parent/child, pre-school, school-age children, teenagers, and adults. VOS was able to stay fully staffed throughout the Summer and offer Safety Around Water Swim Lessons and Swim Instructor Certification courses. The Aquatics teams take a multi-faceted approach to keeping kids safe starting on deck including taking the Water Watcher Pledge as families, emphasizing the need to educate children and adults on the importance of asking for permission to get in the water, swimming with a water watcher, floating, and basic survival techniques to use outside of our facilities. Their Aquatic Directors take active steps towards Drowning Prevention by hosting Safety Talks at local elementary and middle schools to decrease the barriers with youth in the community.

Phoenix Fire Department

The Phoenix Fire Department has proactively promoted their drowning prevention campaign Drowning Zero at the direction of Phoenix Fire Chief Mike Duran III. Launched in 2022, the message momentum continues into 2023. It's demonstrated through consistent social media posts, press conferences, organizing and/or physically showing up to water safety events that spreading the message of water safety is one of the department's public priorities. According to a press release on the City of Phoenix website, "Drowning Zero has a vision to eliminate the number of both adult and pediatric drownings through education, supervision, and community action. That means zero children unsupervised, zero barriers to pool visibility, and zero access to unsafe bodies of water."

Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort

The Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort this year, but in particular, the Hilton Corporation has for over 25 years supported drowning prevention efforts in our community. Hilton has provided several of their valley resorts to host the annual DPCA water safety day event each May. This hosting includes the use of multiple resort pools and amenities, set up of stage, speaker systems, tables, covers, shade for advocate area as well as use of rooms for mascots and parking lot display area. The resort also provides manpower for all of the setup of the event as well as security. All of this is provided FREE of charge to the DPCA and the community! The resort hosts media events using their pools for the DPCA and the Phoenix Fire Department during the summer as well as using their venue to sponsor water safety days for the underserved community and valley elementary schools.

Telemundo

Telemundo AZ had notable drowning prevention coverage this summer with reports by Veronica Quintero and Ariana Garcilazo. Veronica was the only local TV reporter to go live during the World's Largest Swimming Lesson on June 22 at the Southwest Family Valley YMCA in Goodyear. Her coworker followed up with heart-wrenching but impactful infant CPR video on July 27 from El Mirage Police and DPCA member Stacey McRae. According to the USA Swimming Foundation, 45% of Hispanic/Latino children have little to no swimming ability. Getting drowning prevention messages to all communities is crucial, but Telemundo is taking action and doing their part to reach their community.

ABC 15

ABC 15 is nominated for their outstanding dedication to drowning awareness. They've integrated this issue seamlessly into their platform through informative articles and a compelling heat map displaying drownings in the valley since 2019. Their blend of data-driven analysis and powerful storytelling humanizes the statistics and engages readers emotionally. Notably, they've advocated for improvements in data collection within the Arizona Department of Health Services, showcasing their commitment to driving positive change. Their comprehensive approach extends beyond reporting incidents, offering practical solutions for prevention and empowerment. Through their unwavering efforts, ABC 15 has made a significant impact in raising awareness about drowning and deserves recognition for their impactful journalism.

Alison Tummond

Alison Tummond is a deserving nominee for the Linda S. Kirby Award due to her 45-year dedication to water safety and children's swimming education. Her innovative approach and unique business model have impacted countless lives in the Scottsdale area. Beyond her business, Alison contributes to the military community, volunteers for underprivileged children, and even taught adults to swim in Grenada. Her personal accomplishments, including challenging open water swims, mirror her commitment to helping others overcome obstacles. Despite personal challenges, Alison's resilience and inspiration make her an exceptional candidate. Her legacy of water safety advocacy and community impact highlight her strong nomination for the Linda S. Kirby Award.

Johnson Mathai (Haji)

Johnson Mathai, known as Haji, exemplifies the qualities of the Linda S. Kirby Award – Willingness, Attentiveness, Tenacity, Enthusiasm, and Resourcefulness. A hidden gem in water safety advocacy, Hagi has dedicated over 25 years to creating impactful annual Water Safety events at Hilton resorts. His focus remains on the cause, not personal recognition, resulting in countless lives saved and touched. Hagi's hands-on approach includes organizing rescue demos, press conferences, and donating to causes like the Drowning Prevention Coalition of America. His unwavering passion and solutions-driven attitude have made a lasting impact. Hagi's humility and community-centered dedication make him an exceptional nominee for the Linda S. Kirby Award.