YMCA swim instructor receives RecognizeGood Legend Award

AUSTIN, Texas - June 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Ed Myers, a swim instructor at the TownLake YM, received the RecognizeGood Legend award for his service in the Austin community.  A presentation held at the TownLake YMCA on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 9 a.m. showed appreciation for his good work, teaching children and adults swim safety for more than six decades.

RecognizeGood is a nonprofit organization which recognizes and rewards individuals for their good deeds in the community.  Myers exemplifies all requirements of a RecognizeGood award winner through his selflessness and dedication to the YMCA and its members.

Myers has a long history with the YMCA, which contributes to his desire to give back.  As an 8-year-old living during the Great Depression, it was the Y that gave him a safe place to grow up.  The years he spent at the YMCA helped him grow into a man with great character and principle.

Myers was told that he could learn to swim at the Y.  After his first lesson, he never stopped swimming.  He began as a swim instructor in the 1950s and has taught on and off for about 60 years at various YMCA branches and other locations.

“I felt [teaching swimming] was always a way to give back to the Y, because it gave me so very much,” said Myers.  He has been an instructor with the YMCA of Austin for over a decade.  Currently, Myers mostly teaches adult swimming lessons.

Myers’ commitment to serving the Y and the Austin community extends beyond his job as a swim instructor.  He volunteers at the ‘Senior Retreat’ for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and participates in the Y’s ‘Project S.A.F.E.’ (Safety, Aquatics, Fitness, Education), where he teaches first-graders water safety free of charge.

Known as the “hidden jewel of the Austin YMCA,” Myers has successfully given back to the Y.  He has helped a great number of children and adults learn how to stay safe in the water and turn swimming into a relaxing and healthy hobby.

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About the YMCA of Austin

The YMCA of Austin is a nonprofit organization that has served the Austin community since 1953, providing health and wellness, aquatics, youth sports, day camp, childcare, youth leadership, senior services and family enrichment opportunities for more than 64,000 members and 60,000 program participants. More information on the YMCA of Austin is available at AustinYMCA.org.