“None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging someone’s help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying Thank You…”

Harvey McKay

“Thank you so very much Em’s Place! We are so grateful to be participating in a swim class for our two year old. In the past three months he has made tremendous progress! He had no skills when he began the classes and in a short time he has learned to use his arms and legs, hold his breath, turn around to get back to the wall and crawl along to the steps, and is now working on lifting his head for air. I am confident he will be completely swimming soon. Em’s Place is a true blessing!”

Laura and Jonathan Gegerson

“My daughter, Alexandra, has been taking lessons through Em’s place for a couple of months now. I feel blessed that Cassie and Shannon have invited us into their home to help get my daughter swimming. It’s wonderful to see that they get as much joy as I do when my daughter (and all the other kids) make improvements in their skills. Thank you Cassie and Shannon and Em’s place for helping us. I know we are just one family of so many that you will help.”

Alexandra

“The McGovern Foundation is committed to drowning prevention and teaching children how to swim. We wouldn’t be able to afford swim lessons for our 2 1/2 year old daughter, Kelley if it weren’t for Cassie and Shannon! They have provided us with this much needed service by offering us discounted lessons and opening up their home and pool while working on opening EM’s Place! Kelley had never had swim lessons before, but after a few short weeks she is able to swim to the wall and monkey crawl back to the steps. She absolutely loves the water and looks forward to her next swim lesson each time. Kelley is progressing very quickly and we are sure that she will be able to swim across the pool very soon. One of the main reasons she is doing so well is because they have kept the class sizes small, leaving more one on one time with the child and instructor. This would not have been the case in our other option, which would have been an expensive class at a city pool with large groups of children. We couldn’t have picked better swim instructors ourselves, than who Cassie and Shannon have chosen in Miss Jen and Miss Jessica. They are both so gentle, yet assertive with the children. Their teaching techniques are magical in our eyes. We can see that the McGoverns truly love to be able to provide these lessons to Kelley and the other children. They love to watch the kids learn and you can see it in their faces that they are sincerely proud of the progression all the kids have made. At the end of each lesson, they talk to each child about the skills that they have learned in that lesson and how proud they are of them. They encourage each child to practice and tell them how they look forward to seeing them at the next lesson. The personal connection is wonderful! Being the proud parents that we are, we have documented and posted the progress of Kelley’s swimming abilities on various social networks, and have had a huge response from friends, family, and friends of friends. We have many friends who had no idea that kids could get lessons as young as two. Some friends want to give their kids lessons but can’t afford them. Other friends have older children who have had lessons but due to the large class size, they weren’t able to pick up any of the skills taught in the class and they still can’t swim. We know of many families eagerly awaiting the opening of EM’s Place so they can provide their children with swim lessons because unfortunately, the McGoverns are limited to how many people they can accommodate at their home. We can’t wait for the day that Cassie and Shannon can see their dream become a reality and open the doors of EM’s Place and be able to provide many more families the opportunity to have their children learn how to swim at a price that they can afford.”

Maureen and Nathan Facine Proud Parents of Kelley Facine

Representative Daley