Del Mar Lifeguards Win!
- Tom Neuman MD, DMF President
The Foundation is pleased to announce the recent funding of two grants to benefit the Del Mar City Lifeguards, city residents, and visitors:
DMF’s grant of $17,500 will fund seven automated external defibrillators to be used in lifeguard facilities and vehicles, replacing existing, older devices, many of which are nearing the end of their useful life. A grant of $6,500 will fund two Diver Response Units, including bailout bottles and regulators, to aid in underwater lifeguard rescues.These two grants for the lifeguards follow a long history of Foundation support for their great work. Going back four-plus decades, it is likely that our first grant ever, in the early 1980s, was a $500 grant to the lifeguards.
Since then, more substantial grants have included $65,000 for initial construction and subsequent repairs and improvements to the Beach Safety Center, with an additional $20,000 for the adjacent walkway and garden (remember the ugly open drainage ditch that used to be there?). In 2021, a new truck customized to meet lifeguard needs was purchased with a $50,000 grant from the Foundation. And to improve beach access for all, the Foundation funded two all-terrain beach wheelchairs and beach access mats to replace broken and aging ones.
Del Mar Lifeguards are the best! We hope our grants support their success, and let them know how much our community values them. And thank you for supporting DMF with your donations – they are key to our grants program, and to all that we do to support a vibrant and cohesive community.