Swim With Purpose Expands Mission to Offer Free Swim Lessons and Water Safety Programs to Community

Frankfort, KY — June 17, 2026 — After three years of dedicated fundraising and community advocacy, Swim With Purpose, a charitable initiative originally established to support the restoration of the indoor aquatic facility at Kentucky State University (KSU), today announced a strategic turn in its original mission.

As part of this transition, Swim With Purpose will dedicate the approximately $400,000 in donor-raised funds to providing free swimming and water safety education for residents of Franklin County, as well as KSU students and faculty.

While the original goal of restoring the KSU pool generated tremendous community support, the project ultimately required a level of local government funding and long-term university commitment that was not secured. Rather than allowing the resources to remain unused, Swim With Purpose has chosen to redirect its efforts toward programs that can deliver immediate and lasting benefits to the community.

"While restoring the KSU pool would have required more local government funding support than was ultimately made available, and given the changes the university is preparing to undergo, this experience reinforced the importance of finding new ways to deliver meaningful aquatic programming to the community," said Sam Taylor, Chairman and Co-Founder of Swim With Purpose.

Taylor continued, "From the beginning, our vision was about far more than a building. It was about access, safety, wellness and opportunity. Swim With Purpose was founded on a promise to improve lives through swimming. That promise remains unchanged."

The new initiative will focus on expanding access to swimming education and water safety training, both critical life skills that can improve health outcomes. It will also be centered around increasing confidence around water, and helping prevent drowning incidents throughout the region.

"We are deeply grateful to our donors, community partners, advocates, and the hundreds of residents who rallied behind this effort," Taylor added. "Although the path forward looks different than we originally envisioned and the community still needs a public pool, the impact we can make is just as meaningful. We remain committed to serving this community, and we believe the future is bright."

Over the past nine months, Swim With Purpose has partnered with the YMCA to provide swim lessons and water safety instruction to 175 second-, third- and fourth-grade students from Frankfort Independent Schools. The success of the program highlighted both the community's need for swimming education and the life-saving value of water safety instruction. View videos of YMCA swim lessons with students at Frankfort Independent School District.

Taylor noted that Swim With Purpose will continue collaborating with community organizations, including the YMCA, while exploring additional partnerships with local aquatic facilities to broaden access to swimming instruction and water safety education.

In addition, Swim With Purpose is exploring opportunities to support aquatic programming at KSU amidst the changes, to ensure that swimming and water safety education remain accessible to the university community.

"This is not a departure from our mission, it is a new way of delivering it," Taylor concluded. "We can still teach children and people of any age to swim. Swimming instruction saves lives, builds confidence and creates opportunities. Everyone deserves the chance to learn."

Additional details regarding program implementation, partnerships, and enrollment opportunities will be announced in the coming months.

About Swim With Purpose

Swim With Purpose (SWP) is a charitable fund managed by the Blue Grass Community Foundation. Founded by AV industry executive and passionate swimmer Sam Taylor, and endorsed by Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and the Michael Phelps Foundation, SWP was originally established to support the revitalization of the indoor pool at Kentucky State University for the benefit of students, faculty, and the broader community. Today, the organization is focused on providing free swim lessons and water safety programs for residents of Franklin County, as well as KSU students and faculty. Through strategic partnerships and community-based programming, Swim With Purpose is helping create safer, healthier and more inclusive opportunities for swimming education.