The aquatics industry has impacted so many lives, and for the past 21 years at the Brigantine Aquatic Center, Robin Taylor has advocated water safety for hundreds of children in the Atlantic City Area.
We are thrilled to celebrate Robin Taylor as our Water Safety Champion of the Month this February!
Robin’s Career Progression in the Aquatics Industry
Robin’s Career in aquatics started when she became a parent to her daughter in 1976. Robin knew of the statistics around drowning when her daughter was still an infant.
“I didn’t want her to be a statistic. I knew there was something that could prevent her from becoming one of the numbers, and I started her in swimming lessons when she was a baby.”
After a while, swimming classes for her daughter became costly, which opened her up to volunteer for what is now the Ocean County YMCA, where she eventually became the head instructor for Red Cross CPR & First Aid and the first to complete a new state paramedic program at the Community Hospital of Toms River.
Robin states, “When you start teaching one person, you realize how much difference you can make and all the lives you touch with something as simple as teaching a child how to float.”
After many years of success, Robin took a temporary leave from the aquatics industry but continued to contribute to her community in any way she could, eventually fundraising over $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
How Robin Started the Brigantine Aquatic Center
The opening of the Brigantine Aquatic Center all started with the question of where the young children of Brigantine, NJ, could receive swimming lessons.
“I remember going to a local dance recital with my sister, and I had asked her where the kids went for swimming lessons, and she said “There’s not a place around here built for that,” and I simply responded, ‘Well, we should build one,” states Robin.
“They laughed when I mentioned it, but I was set out to build an aquatic center to share the passion I had for swimming with others.”
The Brigantine Aquatic Center was then opened in 2001, where Robin currently owns and mentors her aquatic teachers with her husband, daughter, and niece. It is now the home of a wide range of swim programs that has taught more than 7,500 children and is the home of the GreenHeads Swimming Team, a Special Olympics Swim Team, and a Master’s Team.
Additionally, Robin is deeply involved with the Atlantic City community in which she launched Green Whales Inc, a non-profit that funds program’s like Whelan’s Whales, Greenheads Swimming, and Stanley’s Special Friends to support free swimming programs for inner-city youth.
Thank You For Making a Difference in Water Safety!
Without Robin’s help, many children in the Atlantic City Area would not have had the opportunity to learn how to swim and find passion within the aquatics industry. Her impact in her community has launched countless scholarships, donations, and funding opportunities for children to get involved in swimming.
Her approach to water safety is very hands-on, and she strives to continue to make water safety education and swimming available for every child in New Jersey with the help of more water safety legislation.
As a founding member of the New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance, she is currently working towards passing Bill A618, which requires school districts to provide water safety instruction as part of New Jersey’s Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education in grades Kindergarten through 12.
“Children and parents need the information to protect themselves in the water,” Robin states, “No parent wants their child to become a tragic statistic.”
The NDPA is honored to present this accolade for Robin’s hard work and passion for her community.
Thank you for being a Water Safety Champion, Robin Taylor!
If you are making a difference in water safety and drowning prevention or know someone who has, we want to hear your story.
Please take a moment to share the story on our website for a chance to be nationally recognized as a Water Safety Champion.
