What do YOU do to make a difference? We celebrate Make a Difference Day October 22, but at Goldfish Swim School, we give back to the community all year long.

We are passionate about community service and giving back and that’s why it’s a key piece of who we are as a business. Want to learn more? Read on:

Goldfish is about community

At Goldfish, we love the communities we are in and that’s why all of our locations offer our free W.A.T.E.R. Safety programs. We go to elementary schools, daycares and other groups to teach kids how to be safer in and around the water because that benefits the community.

Being a part of the communities we serve is really important to us at Goldfish. Each location chooses the ways they will give back to their specific community. Our teams understand, live in and care about their communities. They are passionate about making a difference by doing things that mean something to them and their community.

Helping Hurricane Harvey victims

For instance, at our West Houston location, we decided we needed to rally around the community after the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey earlier this year.

Our entire team wanted to do something to help, but where do you even start? With the local school, of course! We set up a GoFundMe account so everyone was able to contribute and the Goldfish Swim School franchise office matched the donations collected.

But what would be the best way to use those funds? Well, our team at the West Houston Goldfish Swim School knew that a lot of people lost their cars during the hurricane – and with that, their car seats. They realized that was a need that many people weren’t recognizing.

We ended up purchasing 91 car seats (and diapers!) for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Pretty extraordinary results!

Making a difference in Chicago

We have quite a few Goldfish Swim School locations in the Chicago area, and this year they’re sharing the same focus on giving back to the community.

All Chicagoland locations are working together this year in a partnership with an organization called Cradles to Crayons on a clothing drive this winter. Cradles to Crayons is a local organization that collects and donates gently used or new clothing to deliver to kids in need. Through their program, each child gets a week’s worth of clothing in a neat little bundle to mix and match into different outfits for the week.

Each Goldfish Swim School in the Chicago market is hosting a clothing drive starting in November and raising money as well. In December, they will be performing a service day with all of their teams at the Cradles to Crayons facility where they will help the organization and the community.

In addition, one of our Chicago-area locations also organizes a separate event – and 2018 will mark the fourth year doing so. They’ve organized a trip to Belize as a service project, where they will help the local school and also provide swim lessons and water safety demonstrations for the community.

So we’re not only making a difference in the local communities that we serve, which our teams do every day, but we’re going into other communities and making a difference as well.

Join the team at Goldfish Swim School

Stop by a Goldfish Swim School location near you, take a tour, check out our WOW! customer service, and sign up for swim lessons! We promote integrity, compassion and trust to be able to give your family a GOLDEN experience every time.