LOVE this speech by Denzel Washington.
MONDAY
Denzel
Thank You
She may kill us for this candid, but shoutout to this lady right here! Without her, yesterday's event and the monetary support we've garnered thus far for TANKPROOF wouldn't have been possible! Thank you sooo much Brittany Lee! We, and everyone involved with TANKPROOF, from the instructors to the kids, appreciate your HUGE heart.
Meet Christiana
"So what does it mean to you to be able to do these lessons and help these kids out?"
"Well, this is my first year actually, so it's pretty inspiring because my first session teaching was a couple weeks ago. I had kids that were crying and bawling, but by the end of the two weeks they were swimming and happy and sad to leave. It's just a really good experience to be able to do something like this."
Meet Christopher
In every swim class, there's always that one kid who is mortified, head-and-shoulders, above all the other afraid ones. If you guessed Christopher was that kid…you get a gold star! It's only Day Three and this guy's confidence has skyrocketed into the stratosphere. We're so proud of him and we are über thankful to his instructors for all of the patience, firmness, & love they've showered this big guy with.
Love is Support
Gotta chance to share with the kids today about L-O-V-E! It is our personal motivator and it's also the driving force behind TANKPROOF. // SUPPORT the cause here.
Meet Anna
"Tell me about your first day of swimming lessons."
"Well, it was easy, we learned how to float, we learned how to kick while we're floating, and we're learning how to swim."
Support the cause --> https://rafflecreator.com/pages/2634/brittany-lee-howard-fundraiser-for-tankproof
Meet James
"So James, this is your third year of TankProof swimming lessons! What does it feel like being underwater?"
"It feels good, it's fun, and it's a great sport."
TANKPROOF: DAY ONE
This year marks the third consecutive year we've conducted the TankProof giveback! For all who don't know, the TankProof giveback focuses on providing swimming lessons to the children of the inner city of Baton Rouge. Most of these kids would otherwise not be able to afford swimming lessons and we're happy that we could partner with RocketKidz Foundation and Crawfish Aquatics to help spread the word and give these kids the gift of swimming.
Today began very smoothly and with a slight overcast, the heat was not a huge issue as compared to days past. As the sun started to peek from behind the clouds, the crystal clear pool seemed to give us an offer we couldn't refuse. As the kids started to file in, we noticed an odd sense of calm compared to the usual chaos that occurs the first day of swim lessons. When asked what the atmosphere is usually like on the first day, we like to reference the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan"! There's usually always screaming with the slight chance of occasional barfing due to nervousness.
Today offered a special surprise with NBA player and Baton Rouge native, Brandon Bass paying the kids a visit. The normal flow of a session usually allows snack time with a speaker to share with the kids some encouraging words of support. Today, Brandon offered those words and his unique story. While almost drowning while he was young, Bass finally decided to take the brave step to learn how to swim…last year! It's always a great confidence builder for the young ones to see older individuals learning this important life skill.
With today being Day One and the kickoff for one of the two session being held this summer, it will definitely go down in history as the smoothest first day we've experienced thus far! We are super excited to see the progression of these kids that will take place in the next eight days and we'll keep you posted along the way.
Teezus
Today's Lunch
Had the BEST lunch today at Latte e Miele! The "Porchetta" = a winner. It's a hearty portion of Mississippi-raised pork shoulder, topped with mostarda, a strawberry and mustard sauce cooked down to a sweet "gravy glaze", sitting on a bed of root veggies (today it was carrots) and puréed beets. Delectable to the taste buds and sexy to the eyes, this is a must try!
