Step Into Swim Program Celebrates Partnership with Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center with $110,000 Grant

Partnership expands access to free water safety education for Florida children

Orlando, FL (February 2, 2026) – Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) dedicated to creating more swimmers through safe swim education, joined community leaders and elected officials to present a $110,000 grant to the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center (RAFC), a state-of-the-art aquatic and recreation facility. The Step Into Swim grant will allow the RAFC learn-to-swim program to provide water safety education to the local community, including a special set of swim lessons for children with different abilities, at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center Teaching Pool Powered by Step Into Swim.

Florida has one of the highest drowning rates in the country, making swim lessons a critical component in drowning prevention efforts. With a mission to make these lessons accessible to the community, RAFC’s Board of Directors made a combined gift of $55,000 to Step Into Swim, which was then matched by PHTA’s Board of Directors to provide a $110,000 grant to the RAFC.

These funds will be used to offer Preschool Level 1, Preschool Level 2, School Age Introductory, and School Age Level 1 group swim lessons to children in the Orlando area as part of the RAFC’s Learn to Swim program. The facility also plans to expand its adaptive swim offerings, providing children with different abilities the opportunity to participate in group lessons or receive private instruction at no cost, based on individual needs. Instructors will undergo training through Swim Angelfish, a nationally recognized program that equips aquatic professionals with advanced adaptive teaching strategies to meet the needs of individuals with autism, anxiety, sensory needs, motor challenges, or those who learn differently. These certifications will strengthen the RAFC’s programming and help ensure a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all students and their families.

“Step Into Swim is honored to expand our partnership with Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center, and we are proud to support their efforts to educate and protect vulnerable communities, including their dedicated learn-to-swim program for children with different abilities,” said three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines, PHTA Vice President of Partnerships and Development, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative. ”Rosen’s learn-to-swim program is providing a critical, life-saving service to the local community and has a wide-ranging and lasting impact in improving safety in and around the water.”

Gaines was joined by Frank Santos, Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center Board Chair and Rosen Hotels & Resorts President and CEO; Dr. John “Lucky” Meisenheimer of the Meisenheimer Family Foundation; Michael Miller, Executive Director of the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center; and other representatives from the RAFC Board of Directors and guests during the grant presentation, who each offered remarks about the positive impact the funds will have in the local community.

“In a state surrounded by water, childhood drownings are far too often. That’s why swimming and water safety education are essential to drowning prevention efforts,” said Miller. “Our mission is to ensure financial or physical barriers never stand in the way of safety and, with the support of this generous grant from Step Into Swim, we’re expanding our offerings to include free adaptive swim lessons specifically designed for children with disabilities.”

In 2025 alone, Step Into Swim raised more than $1.5 million, funding swim lessons for nearly 20,000 children across the country and abroad. The initiative’s work with the RAFC is a pivotal partnership to continue these important water safety education and access efforts.

To learn more about Step Into Swim, visit www.StepIntoSwim.org. To learn more about the RAFC and its learn-to-swim program, visit www.rosenaquatic.com.

###

About the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and Step Into Swim

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), a non-profit organization with 4,000 members from around the world, was established in 1956 to support, promote, and protect the common interests of the $62B pool, hot tub, and spa industry. PHTA provides education, advocacy, standards development, research, and market growth initiatives to increase our members' professionalism, knowledge, and profitability. Additionally, PHTA promotes the use of pools by expanding swimming, water safety, and related research and outreach activities aimed at introducing more people to swimming, making swimming environments safer, and keeping pools open to serve communities. For more information, visit www.phta.org.

Step Into Swim™ is an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and its foundation committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. By investing in the next generation of swimmers through learn-to-swim programming, the Step Into Swim initiative instills confidence, empowers long-term participation in water activities, touts the positive benefits of water play, and advocates for safe practices. Since its inception in 2012, Step Into Swim has played a role in reducing drowning fatalities and has gifted swim lessons to more than 500,000 children with support from community organizations, partners, industry advocates, members, and more. For more information, visit www.stepintoswim.org.

About Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center

The Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center (RAFC) is a world-class membership facility serving Orlando residents and visitors to an international community of aquatic athletes. One of the largest indoor competitive swimming facilities in the Southeast, the RAFC features three pools: 50-meter with a first-of-its-kind hydraulically retractable roof, 25-yard teaching pool and 25-meter diving pool, while boasting one of only seven indoor performance diving rooms in the nation. For fitness goals, the RAFC offers the Adam Michael Rosen Fitness Center, racquetball courts and annually teaches hundreds of community children lifesaving and swimming skills. A passion for swimming and decades-long support prompted Orlando philanthropist and hotelier Harris Rosen to accept the facility as a gift from the YMCA of Central Florida in October 2020 to preserve it from permanent closure. The Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center, Inc. has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. It is located at 8422 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. For more information, please call 407-996-3444, email membership@rosenaquatic.com or visit www.RosenAquatic.com.  

Contact for PHTA/Step Into Swim:
Amy Willer
Senior Director, Content & Communications
awiller@phta.org
703-838-0083, ext. 121

Contact for Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center:
Amanda Kruse
Communications & Media Relations Specialist
akruse@rosenhotels.com
689-278-6229