BEACH RUN KICKS OFF BEACH SAFETY AND RIP CURRENT AWARENESS MONTH
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, March 28, 2022 – This Saturday, April 2nd, people will gather at the Briscoe King Pavilion at Padre Balli Park Road to promote beach safety and rip current awareness at Coastal Bend beaches by running either a 5K or 10K. The Surviving the Rip 5K/10K is hosted by the Je’Sani Smith Foundation in efforts to raise awareness of rip currents.
Drownings due to rip currents are far too common. Rip currents are a daily occurrence at area beaches, especially near structures like piers and jetties. Educating beachgoers on the dangers present on area beaches is critical to preventing further loss of life within our community.
“We want to raise awareness, and we also want to have a good time” says Yvette Gavan, Director of Fund Development with the Je’Sani Smith Foundation. The Je’Sani Smith Foundation is named for Je'Sani Smith, a high school senior swept away by a rip current at a Nueces County beach in 2019. “We think a fun run is a great way to do that. Je’Sani was an athlete – he loved the beach, and he loved healthy activities. We plan to open Beach Safety and Rip Current Awareness Month by celebrating Je’Sani”
Making good beach safety decisions are only achieved through relentless and consistent visual and verbal beach safety education and awareness programs and initiatives. Improving unwanted fatalities and injuries at our beaches is accomplished when there is a full understanding of the beach safety flag system and the dangers of rip currents and swimming near piers, jetties and other structures.
The Je’Sani Smith Foundation works to provide beach safety and rip current education to make sure that no family experiences a similar loss. To register for the run, or for more information or to donate to the Foundation, visit www.jesanismithfoundation.org.