In an initiative to promote water safety awareness among Hawai‘i’s newest families, the Alex and Duke De Rego Foundation donated 50 gift baskets to new parents at Kona Community Hospital (KCH).

Each gift basket contained newborn baby items along with water safety educational materials to empower parents with the knowledge to protect their children around water.

Foundation President Shirley De Rego expressed her hope to donate 50 gift baskets annually during Water Safety Month, with ongoing efforts to distribute water safety educational materials to parents of newborns at KCH throughout the year. In a press release Ms. De Rego said, “The life of a child is precious. It’s an honor to provide this Infant Water Safety information. Knowledge is power. Anything we can do to safeguard our keiki is important. My mission is to do this with water safety and first aid /CPR.”

The Alex & Duke De Rego Foundation honors the memories of De Rego’s two sons who died in separate accidents when they were young. The foundation’s mission is to empower young people in Hawaiʻi with water safety and emergency lifesaving knowledge through hands on training.

Photo credit: Kona Community Hospital