The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon Sponsors City of Boston’s Swim Safely Partnership

May 5, 2022

New funds enable 300 additional children to access free swim lessons, expanding the program to serve Boston area residents

BOSTON, MA – May 5, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon today announced its financial support of the Swim Safely Partnership, an initiative aimed at increasing access to swimming lessons, especially for those in the Greater Boston area who have historically faced economic or logistic barriers. The Boston Triathlon’s title sponsor Columbia Threadneedle Investments, as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation and the Boston Triathlon have generously matched dollars already committed by the Mayor of Boston’s Joy Agenda and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to expand the city’s swim safety initiative by offering free swim lessons for children and adults, expanding the lifeguard workforce through free training, and implementing a pilot program that offers free swimming lessons for students at Boston Public Schools.

Previously, the Swim Safely Partnership was prepared to host free swim lessons for 600 children in the Boston area, but this additional financial support will allow an additional 300 kids to join the program. These lessons will be open to all Boston residents and will be held at YMCA of Greater Boston’s Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park, Huntington Ave and Chinatown locations.  For more information and to register, please go to this link.

“The ability to enter a body of water with joy and confidence, rather than fear and trepidation, is something all children should have, regardless of race, status or wealth,” said Leslie Walstrom, Global Head of Marketing at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. “Our hope is that with the support of the Boston business community, the Swim Safely Partnership can help prevent needless drownings and make a difference in the lives of Boston residents.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of death in children aged one to four, and the second-leading cause in children aged one to 14 in the United States. For every child who dies from drowning, an additional eight children will require emergency room care, with some experiencing brain damage and other long-term injuries.

“The Boston Triathlon is committed to this community partnership to provide additional swim clinics throughout the year in the City of Boston,” said Michael O’Neil, President of the Boston Triathlon. “Also, with USA Swimming and USA Triathlon, we will continue to grow our ‘Splash and Dash’ so children across the state have the opportunity to participate. It is essential that we increase accessibility and remove barriers for people of color who want to participate in our sport. We are honored to be part of the Swim Safely Partnership and to share our love of swimming with the next generation of athletes.”

“The Swim Safely initiative is the perfect program to get kids not only active and confident but also provide them with a lifelong skill,” said Dr. Gabe Cagwin, President of the USA Triathlon Foundation and USA Triathlon Chief Advancement Officer. “Participants will get to showcase their new abilities later this summer in the Boston Triathlon, which is part of our national ‘Splash and Dash’ series to introduce kids to multisport events and build enthusiasm for triathlon among young athletes. In addition to contributing to this great program alongside the Boston Triathlon, we are also providing free USA Triathlon memberships to kids who participate in the kids’ day race because everyone deserves to experience the joy of movement.”

The USA Triathlon Splash and Dash Youth Series is open to athletes ages 7-15 and includes more than 50 races across the country. For more information, visit USA Triathlon’s webpage.

For more information or to register for the Columbia Threadneedle Boston Triathlon, visit www.bostontri.com.

About the Boston Triathlon

The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon is the only triathlon to take place in the City of Boston.  The race typically draws athletes from all around the world, the country, the state and the city of Boston. Each summer, athletes descend on the South Boston waterfront for two days of racing.  Now in its 14th year, the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon is a fixture in the community, with Olympic and sprint distance triathlons, the Boston Corporate Cup, and an all-ages Kids Day. The race is produced by ethos, a mass participation event organization created to bring athletes together through challenging and unique sporting events.  ethos also produces the Lobsterman Triathlon in Freeport, Maine.   For more information about the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon, visit www.Bostontri.com.

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset manager that provides a broad range of investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world. With more than 2,500 people, including over 650 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage $699 billion of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.¹

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global asset management group of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP). For more information, please visit columbiathreadneedleus.com.  Follow us on Twitter.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments (Columbia Threadneedle) is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies.

¹ As of March 31, 2022. Includes all assets managed by entities in the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies.

About USA Triathlon Foundation

The USA Triathlon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the charitable arm of USA Triathlon. With its mission to transform lives through sport by providing opportunities to swim, bike and run, the Foundation serves to generate a greater impact on the multisport community through charitable giveback and grants that advance the Foundation’s three pillars: (1) Encourage youth participation; (2) Inspire adaptive athletes; and (3) Ignite Olympic/Paralympic dreams. Since the Foundation was established in 2014, it has provided millions of dollars in grants to organizations and individuals in pursuit of its mission and pillars to create a healthier United States through triathlons.

###