Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation
About the Foundation
On January 1, 1989, Stew Leonard, III (“Stewie”) lost his life in a drowning accident – he was just 21 months old. This sparked his parents, Kim and Stew Leonard, Jr., to pledge to do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families, especially as drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in children four and under.
In 1990, Kim and Stew founded the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation in memory of their son. Since this time, the Foundation has raised $6 million for water safety awareness and education initiatives, including funding hundreds of lifeguard trainings and 10,000 free or low-cost swim lessons for children in need every year.
The Foundation's Impact
We partner with YMCA’s, Boys & Girls Clubs, community centers and other youth-serving organizations to fund free or low-cost swim lessons for children in need who may otherwise not have access. Children who take swim lessons are 88% less likely to drown!
Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we’ve raised $6M for water safety initiatives, including funding 250K swim lesson scholarship and thousands of lifeguard trainings.
National Community Impact
Communities across the United States have adopted Stewie the Duck as an educational tool for awareness and drowning prevention programs. Stewie the Duck has expanded to every state, but four!
Grantees
Our Foundation is honored to partner with the following grantees to advance water safety awareness and to provide free or low-cost swim lessons for children in need and lifeguard trainings.
Supporters
Diamond Duck
Sponsors
Stew and Kim Leonard, Jr.
Westchester Magazine / Thompson & Bender
Gold Duck
Sponsors
Brescome Barton
FreeBird Chicken
JP Jarjura and Sons
M&T Bank
The Sullivan Architecture Group
Westside Foods
Silver Duck
Sponsors
Clemens Food Group
DGC Capital Contracting Corp.
Imperial Dade
National Beef
Sparkling Ice
The Wiggins Foundation
Bronze Duck
Sponsors
Alliant Insurance Services
Byrne Dairy
Cargill Protein
Cibo Vita
Coastal Pacific division at Southern Glazer’s
Edrington
Furman Roth
Bill and Beth Hollis
The Kral Family
Moet Hennessy
North Coast Seafoods
Palm Bay
Polar Beverages
PWC
Katzman Produce
Stoli / Empire Merchants
Taub Family Selections
Tito’s Vodka
Trinchero Family Estates
United Spirits
Votto Vines
The Wine Group
As Seen On
Awards and Recognitions
Promoted By
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
For every $10, one child receives a FREE swim lesson.
Contact The Foundation
Events
New York City Marathon
Save the Date!
- Sunday November 5, 2023
- New York City, NY
Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation is proud to be an official charity partner of the New York Road Runners for the 2023 TSC New York City Marathon. Of the 50,000 runners participating in this year’s marathon, we’re thrilled that for the second year in a row, five will be representing the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation as TEAM STEWIE! For the 2022 TSC New York City Marathon, TEAM Stewie raised more than $15K to support swim lesson scholarships for children in need. WOW!
The 26.2 mile course runs through all five boroughs: Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. Through this partnership, we are able to provide you the opportunity to make your miles meaningful by helping support potentially lifesaving swim lessons for children who may otherwise not have access.
For more information on the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, including sponsorship inquries,
please contact Sarah Caro at scaro@stewietheduck.org.
