Colt's story has inspired me to train to become an Infant Aquatic Survival®Specialist. I was just 12 years old when Colt passed away. He was the cutest, blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby boy I'd ever known. I have so many fond memories of him and miss him every day, especially his winning smile. His death has impacted my life and left a hole in my heart, which is why at just 17 years old I founded the Colt Catalina Foundation. I never dreamed I would have a non-profit organization. I wish I didn’t because Colt should be here, but it is my mission to turn this tragedy into something positive. When Colt passed away, I knew I had to do something to prevent this tragedy from happening to another family. For years, I've had to watch Colt's family suffer the unimaginable. There’s nothing more painful than watching a family go through the loss of a child. Colt is why I fight so hard and will continue to for the rest of my life. I will continue to be a voice for him and all the other children who have lost their lives to this preventable tragedy. 
 
The Colt Catalina Foundation raises awareness for Drowning Prevention & Child Safety. My goal is to educate the public on the importance of water safety. I provide Infant Aquatics® survival swim lesson scholarships around the U.S to those in financial need. Infant Aquatics® is the second-largest survival swim program in the world teaching infants and young children ages 6 months through 6 years the swim-float-swim method and I am proud to be partnered with them and be their top sponsor. 
 
In addition, I advocate parents take the needed steps to prevent childhood drownings such as simple layers of protection like supervision, pool fences, pool/window/door alarms, and CPR. Most importantly, I urge parents everywhere to enroll their child(ren) in survival swim lessons with the hope that they can avoid becoming yet another sobering statistic. 
 
My mission is to prevent another drowning so that no other family has to suffer the unimaginable pain Colt’s family has endured. Colt is terribly and painfully missed…a pain that does not dull…never goes away. He is missed more than the world can possibly understand. Drowning is 100% preventable.

For more information on the Colt Catalina Foundation please visit:
https://www.coltcatalinafoundation.com/#!