Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

From front row, right, Emma Schlenker and brother Mathew, and back row (from left), Emma's father Brent; general manager of Sunset Jamaica Grande, Clifton Reader; and Emma's mother mother Linda with younger sister Grace at a welcoming reception at the Ocho Rios, St. Ann, resort on Monday night. - Contributed

WESTERN BUREAU:

It took an hour and 15 minutes for nine-year-old Emma Schlenker to swim through 50 degree temperature, shark-infested waters from Alcatraz to San Francisco Bay, California, and it takes a few seconds for a child to drown.

Young Emma, an advocate of safe swimming and a member of the non-profit organisation Foundation for Aquatic Safety and Training (FAST) spent the last week in Jamaica basking in the island's rich history and culture and the beauty of the family-oriented Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort, in Ocho Rios.

But before she arrived here, Emma was one of the main attractions on the United States television programme, The Ellen Degeneres Show. Young Miss Schlenker was also busy helping to raise US$100,000 to pay for swimming lessons for children and Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation (CPR) training for families living in Phoenix, Arizona.

The leading cause of death in children under the age of five in Phoenix is drowning. "Even though there are no beaches, there are pools in people's backyards because of the heat," said Emma, who learnt to swim just about the time she started to walk.

Too many drowning incidents

Most of these children drown in their own backyard swimming pool, while others drown in buckets, bathtubs, toilets, dog water bowls, canals and ponds. Small children are top-heavy, and they don't have the upper body strength to lift themselves out of some of these dangerous situations. And even if the child survives the incident, they are often left with permanent brain damage, research has shown.

Four years ago, at age five Emma joined FAST. Today, Emma, who was born in Arizona, gives talks in schools on the importance of preventing drowning, teaches swimming along with adult coaches and holds the record as the youngest girl to make the swim across the Bay.

FAST has a three-pronged approach: offering lessons for children; life-saving skills for parents, "If a child is in difficulty they can start mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," Linda Schlenker explained, adding that pool gates, which average US$7,000 per installation are far too expensive for many families.

As a result of her efforts, the Ellen Degeneres Show awarded her a trip with her two siblings, father Brent and mother Linda to the Sunset Jamaica Grande.

"Since she has been here she has gone swimming with the dolphins of Dolphin Cove and done a presentation to students at the Marjam Preparatory School in Ocho Rios," said Charmaine Deane, director of sales and administration at Sunset Resorts.

According to Ms. Deane, "As a company, we are always pleased to support activities of this nature. We like to say we do not just accommodate children, we cater to them and this visit provides a unique opportunity for us to do just that by ensuring that the Schlenker family has the most positive experience at our resort and, by extension, Jamaica. Emma has promised to chronicle her stay in Jamaica for her classmates and send it back to us and we certainly look forward to that."