OUR MISSION:
To promote safe and responsible growth and development in kids through nutritional awareness and
water safety.

	STEW LEONARD III CHILDREN’S CHARITIES FOUNDATION FACT SHEET
BACKGROUND	On January 1, 1989, a 21-month old toddler lost his life in a drowning accident. This sparked his parents to pledge that they would do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families, since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five. In 1990, that toddler’s parents, Kim and Stew Leonard, founded the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation in memory of their son. Since this time, the Foundation has raised more than $1 million dollars to go towards water safety awareness and education, including providing swim scholarships and lifeguard training, along with writing and publishing two children’s books on water safety: Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie the Duck.
EXPANDING THE MISSION	Stew Leonard, Jr. is the president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s food stores in Connecticut and New York. In addition to his work to promote water safety, through his family-owned food stores, he also became aware of the need to encourage healthy eating among children. The number of children who are at risk for being seriously overweight has tripled in the past two decades, and only two percent of children currently meet the recommendations outlined in the dietary guidelines. Taking a cue from the success of the foundation’s water safety educational efforts, in 2006 the Leonard’s broadened the focus to “promoting safe and responsible growth and development in kids through nutritional awareness and water safety.” The foundation changed its name to the Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities to reflect this new mission.
CURRENT INITIATIVES	Water Safety In late 2006, the Leonard’s will publish a Spanish language version of Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim and donate thousands of copies of the book through local YMCA chapters. More than $100,000 in scholarships are awarded annually for swimming lessons through the YMCA and Swim America, a nationally certified learn to swim program offered by the American Swimming Coaches Association.
	Nutrition Building off the success of the nutrition tours for children at Stew Leonard’s, Stew wrote The Healthy Way with Wow the Cow to teach children the importance of eating healthy and being active. The book will be published in Fall 2006 and several thousand copies will be donated to local elementary schools and children’s libraries through the Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION	Write: 100 Westport Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851 Phone: 203.750.6121 Web site: www.stewietheduck.com or www.stewleonards.com
MEDIA CONTACT	Meghan Flynn 203.750.6106 or mflynn@stewleonards.com