"This is near and dear to my heart" - Regan Smith steps up for a good cause with eponymous 'learn to swim' scholarships

Regan Smith took pride in her eponymous scholarship, which, in partnership with Step Into Swim and Every Child a Swimmer, has awarded 113 scholarships to children who want to learn to swim. Smith has earned global fame as one of the most formidable swimmers in the United States.

Basking in the glory of her 2024 Olympic and World achievements, Smith took pride in another accomplishment, having helped 113 children with 'learn to swim' scholarships through her eponymous 'Regan Smith Foss Scholarship' in partnership with Step Into Swim and Every Child a Swimmer. She expressed that the intentions of the scholarships cater to her passion for water safety.

"Water safety is one of my biggest passions, and I am so proud of the impact that the Regan Smith Foss Scholarship has made in conjunction with Step Into Swim and Every Child a Swimmer. In 2024, the Regan Smith Foss Scholarship helped fund 113 learn to swim scholarships. This is near and dear to my heart and I’m very pleased to share this with you all," she wrote in her Instagram post.

She added:

"By partnering with Step Into Swim and ECAS we can all contribute to improving water competency, lower drowning rates, and make every child a swimmer in our communities."

Regan Smith once shared a childhood anecdote of how her swimming career kick-started

Smith with her silver medal at Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 7 - (Source: Getty)

Regan Smith's parents had sporting backgrounds and even her sister started swimming when young. Inspired by her elder sibling, she wished to take swimming lessons, eventually leading her to several podiums at a very tender age.

"My parents put me in swimming lessons at like a really young age just to like to be water safe. I have a sister who's 5 years older than me and so I always wanted to do whatever she did. It's such like a younger sibling vibe. She started competitive swimming when she was like 12 or something and so I was seven I was in second grade and I was like, I' want to do this too and I begged my parents and then they finally let me do it."

"It was my very first swimming competition I had like five events and I won all of them. At that age I loved praise I loved winning, I loved being the best at something.."

Regan Smith competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was part of the gold-winning 4x100m medley and 4x100m mixed medley teams. She also earned silver in the 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, and 200m butterfly. After that, she won nine medals at the Swimming World Cup, breaking the 100m and 200m backstroke world short course records and finishing second in the overall standings.

Her stint at the 2024 Short Course World Championships was also successful. She won four golds, two silvers, and a bronze, and broke her 100m backstroke record during the 4x100m medley final.