CEO Bobbie Wagner, Operations Dir. Thomas Smals Discuss Water Safety Program at the YMCA By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer   Covington, VA (Mar. 11, 2026)— It was a lively day at the YMCA earlier when the Alleghany Journal decided to pay a visit and chat with Bobbie Wagner, CEO of the YMCA, and Thomas Smals, Operations Director, about their annual "Safety Around Water" program. The program is specifically designed for second graders who, with their parents' permission, pay a visit to the Y during the two-week-long event to learn about the importance of water safety. "It's an awesome program," said Smals. "It helps to actually save lives, so it's not just swimming lessons. We actually teach them to know what to do in the water in different situations or that might be life-threatening or anything like that. We want them comfortable in the water and the ability to do what they need to do to survive in the water." "They [second graders] come five different times," Wagner noted, "and each time that they come, they get about 45 minutes in the pool, which is happening behind us right now, and then they get about 45 minutes in the classroom, so we have a classroom component of this where we teach them about beach safety, how to properly put on a life jacket. We even talk about how to make a 9-1-1 call... not necessarily everybody knows what to do and what to say when you call 9-1-1." The CEO also stated that anyone is welcome to visit the YMCA this week or next while the "Safety Around Water" program is ongoing to get a better idea about it, ask questions, or see the program in action. The YMCA is also looking for volunteers to assist with the program next week. Anyone interested should contact the YMCA at (540) 962-9622.

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