Tankproof offers free swim lessons to Boys & Girls Club summer campers

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana had about 50 members learn to swim last week thanks to Tankproof, a nonprofit out of Baton Rouge that focuses on teaching children this life-saving skill.

Thurman Thomas and his twin brother Torrence started Tankproof in 2011 and have since served more than 2,350 individuals.

A small but mighty fraction of that number came from North Louisiana at our West Monroe and Ruston units beginning in 2019. After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the group returned to the area last week to offer free swim lessons to our campers.

“Just having the ability to serve the kids in this area … why we started the organization, to be honest, is to sink the stereotypes,” Thomas said. “I mean so many minority families with low income, not just tied to race, have access to quality swim instruction, and we believe swimming is a life-skill.

“It should be affordable to every single person. We are in the business of tearing down barriers, breaking excuses and want to make it easy for as many people as we can.”

The Tankproof team spent the entire week with our Clubs, starting with West Monroe in the morning and Ruston in the afternoon.

“It’s always special when we get to serve in Louisiana, but I love this part of the state,” said Thurman, who grew up just outside of Baton Rouge in Geismar, Louisiana. “It’s a different vibe than we are used to. Most of all our instructors are from south Louisiana so when we get to come to the northern part, it’s similar but a different bag of chips, so to say.”

Tankproof is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and its instructors are able to provide free swim lessons through donations and grant funding. Their instructors travel all over the state and have also provided services in Texas, California, New York and will soon move into Oregon.

“The purpose isn’t to be Michael Phelps,” Thomas said. “The goal is to know how to save themselves if they’re in a precarious situation in the water. The first lesson is how to not put yourself in those situations, but two, to have physical techniques to save yourself.”

Tankproof’s impact has been featured on CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, MSNBC, Esquire Magazine and Southern Living Magazine.

To learn more, visit tankproof.org.