Missy Franklin will become one of the latest stars of the pool to become a face for the USA Swimming Foundation, signing an agreement to be one of the organization’s brand ambassadors through 2020.
Franklin is continuing to grow her brand in the seven months since becoming a professional swimmer. In addition to securing sponsorships, she’s already served as an ambassador for a USA Swimming program, acting as the face for the Swimjitsu national tour this past summer.
Video announcement
Among the major pushes for the foundation is the Make-A-Splash campaign, which is working to reduce the number of drownings in the United States. Recent numbers indicate that 10 children die from drowning each day because they do not know how to swim, and the majority of those are minorities. The foundation has held clinics across the country for children to learn the basics of swimming, featuring a swimming celebrity. As ambassador, Franklin is likely to become a part of that national tour.
Franklin will join fellow Olympic champions Rowdy Gaines and Cullen Jones as foundation ambassadors. Gaines and Jones have been a part of the Make-A-Splash initiative since 2008, and having Franklin’s presence could continue to make the program very popular.
“There were so many reasons why I made the USA Swimming Foundation my charity of choice,” Franklin said in the announcement. “First and foremost, swimming has always has a special place in my heart and it always will. They (the foundation) have been with me, as well as countless other athletes, along our Olympic journeys, … and it’s so wonderful knowing that you have such an incredible team behind you.”
The foundation’s motto is “Saving Live, Building Champions,” which emphasizes the goal of not only getting kids water safe, but keeping them in the sport with the hope that they will become successful competitive swimmers. Franklin said she was excited about that lifelong commitment to a child found in the USA Swimming Foundation.
“It’s not about getting someone in the water, and then leaving them there after that,” she said. “First, it’s saving lives, and then it’s all about building yourself as a champion.”
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