GREENWICH, Conn. – The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) has selected Karen Cohn of The ZAC Foundation to receive a 2013 PCFSN Community Leadership Award. The award is given annually to individuals or organizations who improve the lives of others within their community by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness or nutrition-related programs.
Mrs. Cohn was selected for this prestigious award due to the national water safety advocacy and outreach work completed by the Foundation she and her husband Brian co-founded called The ZAC Foundation. Following the drowning of their 6-year-old son Zachary Archer Cohn in 2007, the Cohns vowed to provide the essential resources children and families need to be active and safe around any body of water.
By 2014, The ZAC Foundation will have delivered more than 3,500 children with water safety training and swimming instruction through weeklong camps presented in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America called ZAC Camps. The Cohn family has also published their first children’s book this summer about the value of swimming and safe water practices called The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim.
“Karen Cohn has worked tirelessly to promote the importance of water safety throughout the country,” says Shellie Pfohl, executive director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. “Because of Karen’s efforts and contributions, countless individuals can benefit from healthier, and safer aquatic lifestyles, and hopefully, the skills they have learned from The ZAC Foundation will one day save a life.”
“It’s incredibly humbling to receive this award and be included in this list of leading health and safety advocates from across the country,” said Mrs. Cohn. “Preparing children and their families for a lifetime of water fun and safety has become our life’s work, and from community to community, we will diligently continue that mission with Zachary as our guide.”
This year, the President’s Council presented the Community Leadership Award to 34 recipients across the country for making sports, physical activity, fitness, and nutrition-related programs available in their communities.
About the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition
The President’s Council educates, engages and empowers all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition. PCFSN is a committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Through its partnerships with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, PCFSN promotes programs and initiatives that motivate people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to lead active, healthy lifestyles. For more information about the Council, visit www.fitness.gov and follow us on Twitter @FitnessGov.
About The ZAC Foundation
The ZAC Foundation was established in 2008 by Brian and Karen Cohn after the loss of their 6-year-old son Zachary Archer Cohn in a pool drain entrapment in their backyard swimming pool. Through education and advocacy, the Foundation is dedicated to ensuring no other family endures the death of a child in a water-related tragedy. To learn more about The ZAC Foundation, connect with us on Facebook and thezacfoundation.org.