Check Out Candace Thome’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Thome.

Hi Candace, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Name: Candace Thome
Founder of Swim Brayv Foundation
Founded the 501c3 in 2016
Celebrating 10 year anniversary starting Dec 2026 & throughout 2027

A little about me & my why…
Names Candace, born in Southern California but moved alot due to being a “military brat”. So switched schools quite a bit as we moved (which is of relevance later in the article). Im the oldest of 10 siblings & my littlest brother, Brayv, passed away from a drowning accident. His death forever changed me.

Brayv was such a smart and happy baby boy… curious, energetic and always smiling! We had brought him in and around water when he was a baby – my family is full of water babies. So Brayv grew to have a love for the water- pools, beaches, rivers etc. Sadly that love for the water grew into curiosity about the water; which led to him venturing to a backyard pool alone. Where he fell in and passed away right before his 2nd birthday.

My family and I didnt know that drowning was the leading cause of death for children 1-4 years old in the United States. Why? Babies start crawling & walking…but they dont know how to swim. As a society we introduce our kids to the water from the start of thier lives. Yet most of us dont prioritizeteaching them the life saving skill of learning to float and swim. Especially at younger ages…many families are like mine & either: 1. dont know swim lessons are an options for kids that young – or 2. they simply dont prioritize swim lessons. Thinking “they will learn when they get older”.

However the stats show children are at the highest risk for drowning during thier infant and toddler years. So why are we waiting as a society to teach them how to float/swim?

I started asking these questions alot after Brayv drowned. I started thinking about how I grew up moving around to new schools throughout the USA – and never once was taught about water safety. We have the police come and warn us about drugs. We had firefighters come teach us to stop drop & roll. I even attended an elementary school that had corrections officers come and talk about staying out of gangs/prison. Yet, no lifeguards or swim instructors ever came to teach us as kids about general water safety.

Which is odd… because statistically, for decades, drowning has taken more children’s lives than fires or drugs or gang violence. Drowning has been the leading cause of death for kids 1-4 in the US & the 2nd leading cause of accidental death for kids 14 & under herr since my brother died in 2011. Which is when my research on drowning started.

However if you go back further- its been a huge cause of death for all ages going back many generations. (Summarized from data by the NDPA, CDC & WHO.)

So why as a society are we not more aware about the public safety issue of drowning? I asked that everyday while researching after Brayv died & realized a public outreach program was needed.

Which is why Swim Brayv Foundation was founded. We are a water safety outreach program that utalizes merfolk mascosts to edu-tain humans on water & swim safety. With the ultimate goal.of creating more advocates for water safety, by taking our Swim B.R.A.Y.V. Pledge.

Our pod travels near & far – to schools, pools, festivals & more. We have a public community outreach activation program for live events. We have a classroom edutainment presentation for camps, schools, assemblys etc. Plus we collab on fundraiser events for both outreach & swim lesson scholarships.

To learn more you can visit us at:

Www.swimbrayv.org

Www.instagram.com/SwimBrayv

Facebook. Com/SwimBrayvFoundation

Whether you are looking for our next public event, looking to request us at a school function, or wanting to collab on events or lessons fundraisers….feel free to contact the pod on our shellphone. We can’t wait to sea you!

#SaveLivesSwimBrayv

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Many…

Didn’t plan on starting a nonprofit. So wasnt sure how to operate one. Had to teach myself along the way.

Fundraising at first was hard. Many nonprofits wont get approved for larger grants until they are 6 years old or older. Since many donors want to ensure the donations will be put to good use long term. Makes sense. Just didn’t know that until after I founded it.

Getting the general public to care about water safety can pose to be an issue as well. Which is why I came up with the mascot, pledge, game etc. To help engage people which allows us to plant the seed of safety in a world that otherwise may have little to no knowledge on the issue of drownings.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Besides Swim Brayv, I run an experiential marketing firm. We specialize in event marketing, brand activations, talent casting/staffing & more.

How do you think about happiness?
Teaching kiddos the importance of water safety advocacy- it is really cool to see them tell thier friends and family what they learn with Swim Brayv.

Swimming/being in water is also my happy place again. Always was as a child but when Brayv died I was 21 and had a fear or moreso a negative connection with pools/water for a while. Now Im happy to say I honor my brother both in and around the water.

Pricing:

• Varies based on needs & amount of people. Contact us for more info.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.swimbrayv.org
• Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/SwimBrayv
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/SwimBrayvFoundation
• Youtube: Swim Brayv Foundation

Image Credits
Photi Credits: SwimBrayv & JVMedia