Our Story

My name is Mia Matteo and I am the founder of Swim to Success. Currently, I am a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo studying elementary education with a concentration in Spanish and entrepeneurship. My vision for Swim to Success began in my junior year of high school.

I grew up in a multicultural family, exposed to two very different worlds: one of great privilege and one of great privation. While I learned to swim, I knew that many people never had the chance. One of these individuals was my mom. My mom was never given the opportunity to learn to swim and she now fears the water more than anything. This inspired me to want to make a difference, so I started Swim to Success. My goal with Swim to Success is to spread the gift of swimming as wide as possible, specifically to children.

What started as an idea, quickly became a reality with our two partnerships coming into action right away. Living only 45 minutes from the border, I knew I would start in Mexico. We first partnered with Corazon De Vida, a for-purpose organization providing life-changing support to orphaned and abandoned children in Baja California, Mexico. They immediately joined the project and began working on ways to get the children in the orphanages along Baja to pools where we could teach. We also partnered with Wings Over Water, an award-winning swim school on the East Coast, owned by my amazing Aunt, Edith Flood. Wings Over Water traveled down to be swim instructors for the project. We have since completed two phases of Swim to Success, giving over 80 children the gift of swimming. Along with water safety and swim lessons, we've provided lunch for the kids, games, and coloring books full of water safety tips. I am motivated to keep this project going and expand our team so that the gift of swimming can be spread even wider.

1 Peter 4:10 says, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace". God has given each of us a greater purpose to be used in service of others. Swim to Success would not be possible without the gifts of every person on our team and we continually want to add more. I am inspired daily to do everything I can to make a difference in this world and I want to urge you to become a part of that. You can make a difference today whether that's by donating, sharing our story, or joining our next go-trip. Thank you for reading our story and mission. Swim to Success will continue making a difference one lap at a time.

Sincerely,

Mia Matteo