- You know, it's so funny, I get this question all the time.
Do you still remember how it felt to drown?
It was a crippling feeling, I was suffocating underwater.
Now I've made it my job to conquer my fear
and to help to get these kids swim lessons
and to learn how to respect the water.
(calming music)
My name is Cullen Jones, I was in the Olympics in 2008
and 2012 and I love to give swim lessons.
- [Announcer] Cullen Jones is a four-time
Olympic medalist swimmer for team USA.
- [Cullen] Right after getting the gold medal in 2008,
they put the drowning rates in front of me
and I learned that 70% of African Americans,
nearly 60% of Latin Americans and nearly 40% of Caucasians
don't know how to swim.
So it's a big problem all over the US.
I think the reason that we don't see as many
African Americans in swimming is because
there's such a stigma that black people don't swim
and this is something that needs to be broken
because we are losing children, we are losing adults,
and it's something that can be changed by swim lessons.
So when I want you guys to kick,
I want you guys to push your arms right above the water.
Swimming lessons are so important to kids to me personally
because I was almost one of those kids
and part of the statistic.
- [Announcer] When Cullen was just five years old,
he almost drowned on a water slide at an amusement park.
- They had to come out and grab me and resuscitate me
because I was underwater for about 30 seconds.
I think what's important about this story is that
I was fully supervised, I mean, it was that easy
and that quick for me to go underwater.
That could have been my last day on this earth.
- [Announcer] And with that near-death experience
Cullen has made it his platform to bring
water safety education to kids from all backgrounds.
- Back stroke.
The way that I'm trying to change my community
is definitely with working with the
Make a Splash Initiative.
I knew this was my way of giving back to a sport
that has given me so much.
Once you learn how to swim, it's like riding a bike,
you never forget.
So take the time and learn how to swim.