US Sailors to vote on Loaner Kids Lifejacket locations

by BoatUS/Sail-World Cruising on 29 Apr 2013 USA sailors are being asked to vote for locations at which they would like to have loan life jackets available. BoatUS Foundation, which runs a Life Jacket Loaner Program for Kids at specific locations throughout the USA, is looking to expand their operations.

The Program helps parents, boaters and anglers get the right-sized life jacket for youngsters at over 500 locations across the country, but it's not enough. Now all sailors can have a say in where the new locations for the program will be located.

Whether it's in a local community, at the sailing club or even a waterfront business, all participants need to do is go to the Foundation's Facebook page or website at www.BoatUS.com/LJLPVoting and voting for by May 12, 2013. The locations with the most votes will become new Loaner Program sites.

'The voting process allows us to best gauge those communities with the greatest need for a loaner site,' added BoatUS Foundation Outreach Manager Alanna Keating. 'We also want applicants to help spread the word about keeping kids safe with our life jackets.' This year's new sites are made possible by a generous donation from the National Marine Bankers Association.

Due to children's growth spurts or last minute changes to the roster of invited guests, kids often don't have the right-sized life jacket - or, tragically, sometimes none at all. The no-cost loaner program, which on average loans out life jackets over 140,000 times each year, makes it easy. Parents and boaters can simply go to www.BoatUS.com/Foundation/LJLP to find a location near them. All they have to do is sign out a right-sized jacket and return it when they are finished boating for the afternoon, day or weekend.

There is also no cost to the loaner sites and, once accepted into the program, the site will receive a life jacket loaner 'kit' - a protective container that holds various sized life jackets for kids, signage, promotional materials and easy-to-use sign-out sheets to track usage. Since the program began nearly 20 years ago, at least three children's lives have been saved.

If this involves you, for more information on the program or the life jacket laws, please visit www.BoatUS.com/Foundation/LJLP.

To learn more about the Loaner Program as it exists now, http://www.boatus.com/foundation/ljlp/!click_here.

About the BoatUS Foundation:
The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. Funded primarily by the half-million members of BoatUS, it provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America's waterways and keeping boating safe for all.