Our Earth Is 71% water!
Board Director Spotlight
Benadette Matthis wants you to take a Swim Class and a Water Safety Class this summer or fall 2025. Everyone should take a Water Safety Class because there are many tips one should know to stay safe around all types of water sources (in the home, pool, river, lake, and ocean).
Benadette is a passionate swimmer, a Red Cross certified Swim Safety Instructor. She is an award winning educator having spent 30 years teaching secondary math in public schools.
Interview here:
Board Secretary Spotlight
Sarah Barrington began swimming by accident in kindergarten and never looked back. She swam competitively through college.
She has taught many adults and children how to swim and has always felt passionate about everyone having access to the ability to learn this life skill.
Currently she teaches Biology in Boston, is a Red Cross CPR First Aid instructor, and still swims in her free time. duct or service you'd like to show.
We want you to be comfortable!
Board Treasurer Spotlight
Michele Goe is an avid athlete (tennis, golf, cycling, and hiking) and a new swimmer. She enjoys the salty beaches in New England from spring to fall. The best part of swimming for Michele is the joy of movement in water. For Michele, swimming is a family affair, both of her children are avid swimmers on the local swim team.
Michele had water anxiety for years prior to taking lessons as a new parent. In late adulthood she began to resolve her fear and learn to swim, motivated by a desire to break the 'curse' of women in her family who are afraid of water and cannot swim.
Michele currently does asset allocation research at a trillion dollar asset manager in Boston. Dr. Goe is the author of several academic papers on sustainability policy. She earned her doctorate in materials science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Goe has master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
We want you to be safe!
Board Advisor Spotlight
Eileen Sullivan Shakespear is currently Associate for Staff Support at Boston Green Academy. In this role, she helps BGA teachers to think more deeply about the craft of their work and to examine and improve their practice. Though no longer teaching full time, she still loves the vitality, the human variety, beauty, and spunky spirit of city people and city schools. Prior to BGA, Ms. Shakespear taught English and Humanities in the Boston Public Schools for thirty-five years, the last 25 at Fenway High School where she initiated and directed Project Week and co-built the site based Urban Teacher Training Collaborative at Fenway/Boston Arts Academy with Tufts University. Ms. Shakespear has an undergraduate degree in English from Boston College and a master’s degree in Education from the University of London, Institute of Education. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher. When she is not working, Ms. Shakespear cooks, does coffee shop research, talks, argues and laughs with friends and family, reads good books, and enjoys great food and travel. Ms. Shakespear is an avid swimmer with MIT Masters Swimming organization.
What do our swimmers say about us?
As a parent, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for black children to learn how to swim. It's not just about water safety, but also about providing them with the tools to feel confident, capable, and empowered in any environment. My son, Kai, has been taking lessons at Swim Freedom, and the transformation has been nothing short of remarkable.
In the past, we’ve tried lessons at four other places, but nothing has clicked quite like it has with Swim Freedom. In a very short amount of time, Kai’s swimming has improved drastically. Swim Freedom’s approach is so much more than just teaching strokes, it’s about building trust, supporting a love for the water, and giving kids an invaluable skill that will serve them throughout life.
Coming from a family where few know how to swim, I truly value the opportunity for Kai to gain this skill. I want him to have every opportunity for success and safety, and I’m so grateful to Swim Freedom for making that a reality. I look forward to Kai continuing his lessons and watching his confidence soar as he progresses. Now, he says he wants to be a life guard when he’s a teenager.
Thank you, Swim Freedom, for offering a program that not only teaches life-saving skills but also helps break barriers and create future generations of strong, skilled swimmers in the Boston community.
Thanks!
Keyla
"Today I went all the way down to the deep end and back, and I was swimming in the water not walking on the deck! Grace, our teacher, is a true miracle worker. I still can't believe what I accomplished today. As a Stroke Survivor who shall turn 65 in a couple of months, this was huge for me,"
Lisa