Clear Channel Donates Billboards to Help Save Lives
Clear Channel Outdoor is partnering with the Houston Area Apartment Association and the YMCA of Greater Houston to help eliminate drownings through an awareness campaign that include more than 40 donated billboards reminding parents and others to watch children around the water. The campaign, Water Wise, in its sixth year, is designed to educate the community about drowning prevention. Pictured here at the unveiling of the first billboards to be displayed this year are Gwen Carter, Children’s Protective Services (left); Kristine Meyerson, YMCA Director of Aquatics; Jenifer Paneral, president, Houston Apartment Association and Clear Channel Vice President of Public Affairs, Lee Vela. YMCA Water Wise is a multifaceted awareness program that includes free swim lessons at area apartment communities. The program targets low-income, minority children who are less likely to learn to swim than their peers. The billboard campaign and educational materials are printed in English and Spanish. There is a dire need for water safety education in the greater Houston area. Nine children have drowned in the greater Houston area so far this year, all of which have been under the age of 10. Drowning claims the lives of nearly 3,000 people every year; however, children four years of age and younger have the highest drowning death rate.
