The story of Hope Floats Foundation is not about just one organization on an island, striving to fight the statistics of accidental drowning alone. No. The Hope Floats story is a story that encompasses the power of collective initiative and collaboration with others. Hope Floats relies on support from its swim school partners, its volunteers, its scholarship families, its private donors and its corporate partners in order to provide the life-saving swim lesson scholarships it does. Without the help of these outside entities, this non-profit organization could not possibly succeed. Without their help, one thing is for sure: less children would be learning to save their own lives in and around the water, and many more families would be grieving for these losses.
One of Hope Floats’ greatest champions is FINIS, the worldwide leader in technical swimming development. FINIS, based out of Livermore, California, provides swimmers of all ages and skill levels the very best in everything from equipment to apparel, even electronics.
John Mix, an avid life-time swimmer and Co-Founder of FINIS, was introduced to the Monofin while abroad in the early 1990’s. When he returned home, after graduating from UC Santa Barbara he developed a patent for his own Monofin. His good friend and former high school swim teammate, Pablo Morales, took a liking to his design. Pablo, aside from being a pal of John’s, also happens to be a three-time Gold Medalist in swimming, receiving gold at both the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona and the 1984 Olympic games held in Los Angeles. The two reunited shortly after the ‘92 summer games, and Pablo’s interest and excitement for the Monofin (specifically the speed it helps swimmers reach) led to the partnership upon which FINIS was founded.
In 1993, John and Pablo started FINIS, Inc. By 1995, they had come up with an idea for the Swimmer’s Snorkel to aid in the technical training of competitive swimmers. With the encouragement and endorsement of UC Berkeley Swim Coach Nort Thornton, they developed, marketed and sold the Swimmer’s Snorkel along with the Monofin under the FINIS name. Shortly after, both men became fathers and each had a son. In 1998, when their boys were just two and taking swim lessons, John and Pablo expanded their product line into the swim school industry with the creation of goggles for small children like theirs. Then and now, FINIS holds that if they can help people of any age to enjoy swimming, and to learn to swim better, then they have the opportunity to secure a customer for life.
Today, FINIS is synonymous with quality and excellence, providing a variety of essential, top-of-the-line training equipment, apparatus and apparel. John Mix is well known for his great success, but he does not bask, nor gloat in it; nor does he keep it for himself.
John Mix and FINIS’ support for Hope Floats Foundation has been steady and strong from the beginning of its incorporation as a nonprofit. John, a good friend of Cindy and Dave Tonneson (founders of HFF), was a Founding Member of the Hope Floats Board of Directors in 2017 and is currently still serving. John is an active and vocal member of the Board, whose kindness and passion helps to ignite others both within and outside of Hope Floats. John says that supporting a charitable cause is “like teamwork.” He believes that when you help those less fortunate, everyone wins. When asked if there was a moment in particular that brought him to want to give back, to help support HFF (or any cause), he modestly said he simply believes it to “just be in <his> DNA.” John holds that, “Giving back to the community is self-rewarding, but these efforts come full-cycle and benefit everyone involved in one way or another.”
John Mix was sold on the Hope Floats model from the moment Cindy and Dave shared the purpose of their small organization and its big mission. John recalls, “Their visions aligned with those of FINIS, as did their passion, and so we decided this was the right non-profit platform to partner with.”
John and the other Board members work closely with Hope Floats Executive Director, Christy Bostic. Christy speaks openly and proudly about the relationship FINIS and Hope Floats share. “John is a caring, heart-centered guy with great business sense. There is no doubt that his contributions have helped us to build a strong foundation that will serve our mission for many years to come.” Christy is grateful to FINIS and the other corporate partner relationships Hope Floats has forged, as they help to provide another level of credibility. This credibility has helped Hope Floats secure additional corporate and private partnerships. It has also helped Hope Floats gain support from those in the swimming world who “follow” FINIS and the others. Hope Floats, in turn, helps these companies to fulfill their stewardship roles in communities from coast to coast.
However, beyond the outstanding credibility FINIS brings with its name, FINIS also supports HFF financially with merchandise promotions, which bring a portion of the sales back to Hope Floats for scholarships. Year-long, and year after year, a percentage of FINIS’ sales of all goggles worldwide, and their sales of swim diapers in the U.S., goes to support the Hope Floats Scholarship program. In November and December of this past year, FINIS also ran a special holiday program which offered Hope Floats’ swim school partners the opportunity to partner with them directly. In this “Shop for Good” program, the schools who signed up (for free) received 5% of each total sale in their HFF scholarship fund, as well as an additional 10% of the sale going back to their school to use however they saw fit (payroll, insurance, mortgage, rent, etc.). Additionally, those schools’ families and friends would receive 20% off of their purchase. This holiday shopping incentive came from the working partnership FINIS and Hope Floats have created.
This past year, (the dreaded 2020), FINIS and other Hope Floats business partners also played a significant role in helping HFF swim school partners during a time of great economic uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus. Together, the Hope Floats team, including FINIS, supported our partner swim schools during the pandemic by helping to provide a COVID-19 Scholarship Relief Fund.
Christy believes the FINIS/Hope Floats relationship is paramount. “FINIS has always been dedicated to making swimming more accessible for children and families around the world,” says Christy. “Our organizational missions are so well aligned; and together we are saving, and will continue to save, the lives of many children who otherwise would never have the opportunity to learn to swim.” John closely echoes Christy’s sentiments. The relationship is symbiotic. Both FINIS and Hope Floats benefit from this marriage. “We help disadvantaged families get swim lessons for their children who otherwise, without these scholarships, may never learn to swim. This relationship saves lives,” John relays with conviction. Sympatico.
Who knows this better than the families, down on their luck and unable to afford swim lessons without financial assistance? The need for scholarships is so great across our country that Hope Floats currently serves 200 swim school locations across 30 of our United States; 31 more than it did at the beginning of 2020. Despite the pandemic, schools have signed on during a pandemic, because the need is so great. People from all walks of life, for a myriad of reasons, cannot afford swim lessons on their own: Single parents, parents working two jobs to make ends meet, disabled veterans unable to work due to catastrophic injury, grandparents left to raise their grandchildren, moms and dads who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic. These people are asking for help so that their kids don’t end up being another drowning statistic. FINIS and Hope Floats are answering their calls.
One such person who reached out for help is a single father (who asked his name not be published for privacy), who sadly but proudly qualifies as a 100% disabled military veteran. He has two children, one (older) has had swim lessons and can swim; and the other, not yet four-years-old, had not had the opportunity to learn until now.
Swim lessons can be expensive, and when added to a monthly budget often end up pushed aside until a better time. The swim school serving the community of this father (and his family) sent him an email with the link to the HFF website. There was not much communication about it; no push, just a gentle gesture. This father didn’t speak to anyone at the school or at Hope Floats about the scholarship program; he just quietly applied online.
When I asked why he decided to apply, he told me that the neighborhood in which they live has a community pool and his young, pre-school aged daughter loves to play in the water. However, he said, last summer she couldn’t swim yet, and so he’d have her wear a life-vest whenever near or in the pool. He said he never really thought about how important it was to learn to swim until he had kids; and now, all he wants is to know his daughter would be safe in the water and able to save herself from drowning if she fell in.
This three-year-old little girl has finished her first 12 weeks in their local swim school program thanks to the scholarship money made possible by Hope Floats and, in part, FINIS. In the 12 weeks of lessons, dad said she learned how to self-rescue, how to float and pull herself out of the pool. He is hopeful for her continued progression, as he renewed their Hope Floats Scholarship and she is currently in her second session. When asked if his daughter enjoys the lessons, you could hear his serious voice lighten a little, “Yes! She loves swimming and looks forward to getting in the pool every lesson.” His hope now is that she will learn to swim. He plans on renewing until she does. I explained to him who FINIS is, and how they are a partner of Hope Floats. As I expressed my gratitude for his service to our country, he shared words of appreciation to both Hope Floats and FINIS for what we do.
There are also single parents like Mercy. Mercy is a single mother who lives in the metro-Atlanta area and has two daughters: Imani, age 12 and Esli age 9. They began their swim lesson journey eight years ago when the girls were four and one. They were like most other families, being able to make ends meet and having enough left over to provide opportunities for the children. However, because there are no guarantees in life, Mercy and her girls have faced unforeseen changes which have brought about personal and financial challenges. Mercy has since lost her full-time job and has not been able to find employment.
Thanks to FINIS and Hope Floats, Imani and Esli were also able to meet 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, and World and American Record holder, Oliva Smoliga, at their local swim school. Olivia is sponsored by FINIS. “They were very excited to meet Olivia and to know she competes internationally,” said Mercy, “It was important, as it inspired them to know that they too can do well if they keep working hard and continue to be disciplined with their swim lessons.” She went on to say the girls felt honored that Olivia came to their school. Olivia was gracious and kind, signing swim caps and cards for the students, according to Mercy. At the time, Mercy did not realize FINIS is a sponsor of Olivia. However, in learning during the course of this article that FINIS, a partner of Hope Floats, was largely the reason for an Olympic swimmer being present at the school, Mercy stated, “It is a noble and kind thing to do. It is important to always give a helping hand to others. We all become great when we help each other become the best versions of ourselves.”
Being a single mom, Mercy confides that it is not easy to raise two children on her own, with having to work to pay the bills. When asked how she balances it all, she replied, “Planning, prioritizing, disciplined spending, making the best choices, making selfless sacrifices, pushing yourself, believing in yourself, and keeping your faith in the grace of God.” She revealed that spending on needs that are necessary take precedence to wants, “and sometimes those are tough decisions to be made.” Swim lessons are incredibly important, but come after the basic necessities. Unfortunately, learning to swim, despite being a life-long skill and one that is life-saving, is not considered a necessity. This is where Hope Floats and FINIS come in. Without their help, parents like Mercy would not be able to send their kids to swim lessons. Without the financial assistance provided by Hope Floats scholarships, supported by partners like FINIS, children like Imani and Esli would not be able to take part in the life-long skill training that swim lessons provide. Without the scholarship assistance, children like Mercy’s could end up as numbers in drowning statistics.
The FINIS-Hope Floats relationship is one for the ages. Like a couple who met in high school and are together till the end, they both are in this for the long haul. Both see that together they can do more, reach more, help more than if they were to do it alone. John Mix relayed his thoughts on the future of the FINIS and Hope Floats partnership, “This is a long-term commitment that we have because there will always be children who need to learn to swim and families who cannot afford the lessons without our help.” John adds, “And as for FINIS, we hope to be a catalyst for more businesses to get involved with Hope Floats Foundation and make a life-saving difference in people’s lives.”
As for Mercy, who represents all those struggling financially, and depending on the work of Hope Floats and FINIS for swim lesson scholarships, Mercy says: “May the great work continue, as there is a child whose life will be impacted positively because of the scholarships that enabled them to go pursue and reach their dreams and goals.” With partnerships like FINIS and Hope Floats, we hope to answer her prayer.
Written by: Stef Baker, Hope Floats Partner Liaison