Stew Leonard III Children's Charities

Saving Young Lives in Memory of a Lost Son
By Ellen Mitchell
Ellen Mitchell is a freelance writer.

(Article Reprinted from July 16, 2002 edition)

You hear his familiar, raspy voice on the radio touting plump Thanksgiving turkeys, fresh-cut Christmas trees and prime steaks for grilling. You see his sprawling stores in Norwalk and Danbury, Conn., he has his very own exit off the New York Thruway leading to his Yonkers store, and he is thinking of bringing a store to Long Island. Stew Leonard Jr. would seem to have it all, but appearances can be deceiving.

"There's not a day goes by that I don't think of my son," said Leonard. "My life basically is devoted to trying to prevent the tragedy that happened to my wife and me from happening to other young parents."

The Leonards' 21-month-old son, Stew Leonard III, drowned in a swimming pool while the family was vacationing in the Caribbean in 1989. The Leonards have since dedicated themselves to saving young lives through water-safety education and awareness.

To that end they have written a book. "Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim: A Child's First Guide to Water Safety," along with an accompanying CD, is sold primarily at the three Stew Leonard stores.

"In the first three weeks we sold 4,000 books. It looks like we'll easily sell 20,000 this summer. Every time somebody buys a book I smile," said Leonard. The major purchasers are grandparents, who Leonard feels are more attuned to danger, while young parents tend to be more complacent.

In 1990 Leonard, now 47, and his wife, Kim, 41, established the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, which has helped nearly 7,000 children learn to swim. The foundation provides scholarships for swimming lessons and safety equipment through local YMCAs and Swim America, a nationally certified learn-to-swim program.

"If there's one message we want to get across it's to never ever, ever take your eyes off your child," said Kim Leonard. "You think it can never happen and you let your guard down. Always designate someone to be watching the water."

The Leonards' toddler drowned as his parents and a house full of relatives were preparing a birthday party for the couple's eldest child, a daughter. It's believed little Stewie went to retrieve a balloon that blew into the pool. Since then the couple has had three other children, all girls and all "dynamite swimmers," according to their father.

"Stewie could not have been in the water five minutes," said Stew Leonard. He cites statistics from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control which show that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under 5. Nationwide, about 350 children under 5 drown each year. Most drown in residential swimming pools and most were missing for less than five minutes.

The book and CD feature a baby duckling that yearns to swim with the older ducks, who are named after the Leonards' daughters. They admonish Stewie to first learn "the rules," which include learning to swim, always wearing a life vest and having a grown-up watch the water. At the end of the colorfully illustrated story, Stewie not only knows the rules but earns a water-safety award.

"My model was Cinderella," said Stew Leonard, "the poorly treated housekeeper who becomes a beautiful princess."

The Leonards collaborated with child psychologist Lawrence Shapiro, PhD, who advised that the book be simple, repetitive and include parental approval and peer recognition to appeal to children ages 2 through 6.

"Stewie the Duck" is available by calling 800-SAY-STEW or on the Web at www.stewleonards.com. The cost is $4.95 plus $1.75 for shipping. The Leonards hope to have it in bookstores nationwide by next summer.