About Us
We started the foundation because I want all parents and caregivers etc to know all the things we didn’t! I had never in my 10 years of parenting learned that drowning was the leading cause of accidental death in young children or any prevention measures.
On July 9th. 2016, tragedy struck our family. During a family graduation party, our 4-year-old daughter Temperance drowned. 50+ people attended, including adults switching back and forth watching the water, and a few children in the pool. Temperance had been wearing her puddle jumper all day. While four of my other children were taking a break from swimming, I watched them playing in the yard while Temperance ran inside for a bathroom break. After a few minutes, I asked if anyone had seen her come out and that is when we began looking for her. She was discovered right away, pulled from the pool, and CPR was performed by firemen attending the party while we waited for 911. No one saw her get back in the pool beside a few children who assumed she was holding her breath. Our 4-year-old Temperance was never revived. She was gone. In moments we were living every parent’s worst nightmare.
Before this tragedy, we had never heard of ISR. I thought we were doing everything right. You see, the puddle jumper gave her a false sense of security, and our Temperance must have forgotten she wasn’t wearing it. A single moment turned our lives upside down.
We have now made it our mission to advocate water safety awareness. This includes the importance of communicating the dangers of water to even young children, implementing layers of protection, educating people about ISR, and the importance of knowing CPR. We also hope to raise funds through events along with donations and to make ISR lessons available and affordable to all families. This is accomplished by turn your generous donation into scholarships. If each person donated the cost of their daily coffee, we would make such a difference!
We do this to honor our beautiful daughter but also in hopes that not one more family will live with this heartache.
Did You Know?
~Drowning is the #1 leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1-4.
~Drowning is the #2 leading cause of accidental death in children ages 4-14.
~Puddle jumpers should never be used in a pool setting, they give children a false sense of safety. Life jackets should only (and always) be worn when boating.
Meet the rest of the foundation
I started this foundation with Katrina, Gerald, and Erin to prevent any other families from the same suffering our family knows. It has become my life’s goal to make sure everyone knows the risk involved with water, and how they can keep their family safe. Here at the foundation, you’ll find me a jack of all trades. I organize events and fundraisers, book our speaking engagements, place orders to make sure we can spread awareness through flyers, pens, etc., with my foundation partners. My official role here is treasurer, but the four of us share all the duties. I am on a mission for Temperance!
My name is Erin Petrowski – a proud board member of The Remembering Temperance Foundation, Mom to four amazing children, and ISR instructor. I became an Infant Swimming Resource Instructor in 2019 because we believe in the program so much we wanted our community to have access to these lessons. No child is drown proof, please always watch your child around water.