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Partnerships
help Corps of Engineers keep young swimmers safe
By
Pamela A. Keene
As the recreation season draws to a close, water
safety continues to be top of mind for the US Army Corps of
Engineers. Each year, the Corps at Allatoona Lake partners with
community groups and businesses to promote water safety.
“These programs wouldn’t be possible without the
generous support of community sponsors,” said Chris Purvis, park
ranger.
This summer, the Corps offered a pair of very popular
water safety programs for youngsters.
Ranger Card Program
 The
Corps has partnered with Cherokee County Safe Kids for three years
now on this hugely popular program. Through grants from Well-Star
Health System, Safe Kids is able to help the Corps at Allatoona pay
for the ranger cards and the nice life jackets that children are
given as prizes.
Six Flags White Water and Sun Valley Beach water
parks again contributed passes for the Ranger Card Program. These
passes have been the grand prizes the past two years and have been
very popular with the children.
The Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority donated
several hundred floatable totes that the children began using as
cases for the collected cards.
Life jacket loaner program
This program was expanded for the fourth straight
year with the help of partners. There are currently 12
Corps-operated loaner stations on Allatoona, including the two new
loaner tree stations at Galt’s Ferry Day Use, one at McKinney
Campground Beach #1, and a station at the Old Hwy 41 #3 Campground
Gatehouse. Two more stations are scheduled for the 2010 recreation
season at Clark Creek North and Stamp Creek Campgrounds.
Cherokee County Safe Kids again helped supply life
jackets to the Corps and Georgia Department of Natural Resource
personnel for loaner programs.
The Christa Michael Prudential Realty team held a
life jacket drive in June that has brought in at least 50 new and
used life jackets for this program as well.
The public has donated many other life jackets for
the loaner and life jacket exchange programs.
“It has been a very successful recreation year and it
could not have been done without the help of these public safety
partners,” Purvis said.
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