WATERVILLE, Ohio — May 28 will mark three years since Logan Fox died in a drowning accident in her own backyard in Waterville.
"By the time the search had concluded, it was too late," said Zach Fox, Logan's father.
According to the CDC, more than 4,500 people died due to drowning every year from 2020–2022, 500 more per year compared to 2019.
Logan was only two-and-a-half years old and did not know how to swim.
In light of her death, Fox became inspired to teach other area youth how to swim.
"I knew that this is something that I could do," he said. " I'm really good with kids, love kids."
Since October 2022, Fox has been a certified instructor for Infant Swim Resource, a national organization built to teach kids ages six months to six years old how to swim.
Fox also is a co-founder of Because of Logan, an organization that raises money for swim lesson scholarships.
"This is by no means a source of income," he said. "This is a passion of mine that I never thought would be my passion."
Both organizations place a focus on the ins and outs of how to swim. But another important thing to be aware of, as an observer of those swimming, is the colors of the swimsuits that a person is wearing. In the event of an emergency, brighter colors are more visible.
"Bright colors; bright neon pinks, greens, yellows," said Becky Epstein, the aquatics director at Perrysburg City Pool and Fort Meigs YMCA. "Anything that's really going to stick out. Really staying away from the blues because they can blend in with the water and most bottoms of the pools."
It's these often-overlooked tips that Fox teaches to his students.
"You can really tell a difference when some of the bathing suits get to the bottom of the pool, which ones get picked out first," he said.
For Fox, he does not want to see another family experience the loss he did nearly three years ago.
"It's a blessing and a curse that I went through what I went through because when I talk to a parent, I didn't read that this is valuable in a book," he said. "This is a lesson that I wish I learned a few years back."