Kealakekua, HI – In an initiative to promote water safety awareness among Hawai‘i’s newest families, the Alex and Duke De Rego Foundation generously donated 50 gift baskets to new parents at Kona Community Hospital (KCH). This contribution underscores the critical need for water safety education from the earliest stages of life. Each gift basket contains newborn baby items along with crucial water safety educational materials to empower parents with the knowledge to protect their children around water.
Foundation President Shirley De Rego spoke to KCH staff passionately about the importance of water safety for all Hawai‘i’s children. She 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.
A few families have so far received a gift basket at KCH, with some remembering hearing of the De Rego ʻohana.
“The life of a child is precious. It’s an honor to provide this Infant Water Safety information,” shared De Rego whose dedication to the safety and wellbeing of Hawai‘i’s keiki is deeply personal. “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.
“Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Alex and Duke De Rego Foundation, we are able to extend vital water safety education to new parents. By equipping families with this knowledge from the start, we can help reduce the number of water-related accidents and save lives,” shared Wendi Wagner, Trauma Program manager at KCH.
