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New Jersey native learned to swim at the YMCA in Newark

On February 20 at 1 p.m., 2008 Olympic swimming gold medalist Cullen Jones will speak to children about what it took to go from Irvington, N.J., to winning gold for the U.S.A. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He will chronicle his near death experience (almost drowning), learning to swim at the YMCA in Newark and becoming one of the most compelling Olympic athletes of our time.

The event will take place at the Plainfield Area YMCA located at 518 Watchung Avenue in Plainfield, New Jersey (across from city hall).

Jones will also talk about working with the Make-A-Splash Foundation; an educational program sponsored by USA Swimming, which encourages every African-American and Latino child to swim. Plainfield is a municipality of about 50,000 residents, mostly comprised of African-American and Latino citizens.

Thanks to some recently acquired grants, April marks the launch of the Plainfield YMCA's Youth Initiative Program. This program will ensure that every public school child in the City of Plainfield learns how to swim, has basic water safety skills, and learns about healthy living and active lifestyles in an effort to avoid obesity.

All area high school swim coaches and teams are invited, along with YMCAs throughout northern New Jersey and the local Boys and Girls Club of America.

Film Producer and Plainfield YMCA Board Member, Lamar David Mackson, has utilized social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter, to invite over 1,000 area swimmers, friends and guests. Invitees from as far away as Virginia, Georgia and Texas have agreed to join the activities of the day.

Children in the YMCA's after-school program are creating welcome posters for Jones and Plainfield's own Olympic gold medalist Milt Campbell, who, out of Plainfield High School won silver in the 1952 Games, then earned gold in the decathlon at the 1956 Olympics. Unfortunately, Campbell will be out of town and cannot participate in person.

Further information is available from the YMCA (908) 756-6060, www.plainfieldy.org. Cullen Jones' appearance at the YMCA is free for all children; adults $5. There are free commemorative T-shirts for the first 100 children, and photographs of Jones, which the attendees can get autographed.

— ANDY LAGOMARSINO, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM