Dear Junior Lifeguard Parents,
After 17 successful years providing a Junior Lifeguard Program for the City of Encinitas, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your family's participation and support. As many of you are aware, I started the program for the City of Encinitas over 17 years ago with only 12 participants. Each year, with the help of an exceptional staff and amazing community involvement, the program grew and grew. We were fortunate enough to build a program that encouraged young people to come back year after year, and as time progressed, many of those Junior Guards went on to become lifeguards themselves, and several have even become instructors for our program!
I, along with all of my staff, have thoroughly enjoyed watching the young men and women in this community grow up summer after summer. There has been no greater joy than having former Junior Lifeguards come back as adults and express how much our program meant to them as kids growing up. Some of my fondest memories will be melting snow cones, the smell of sunscreen, and most of all junior guards running, laughing, learning. For that opportunity, I will always be extremely grateful.
Unfortunately, the City of Encinitas has chosen not to renew my contract for the 2010 summer. The city will continue to have a Junior Guard program at Moonlight Beach, however our current staff will not be involved in any way. Instead, the program will be run and staffed by the Department of Marine Safety. While we are not sure what changes this will bring, any questions or concerns should be directed to the City of Encinitas Parks and Recreation Department.
I, along with the staff I have worked with for years, will be building a NEW program for 7 and 8 year-olds, and we look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that this will bring. If you have a child in this age group, or just want to see what we are up to now, please click on the link at the bottom of the page for more information.
Thank you again for your involvement in the Junior Lifeguard program. It has been my distinct pleasure to work with you and your children over these past several years.
Sincerely,
Crystal Ekman
Junior Lifeguard Coordinator
Anyone interested in aiding please contact Crystal at encbeachkids@yahoo.com