Mission and History

On October 5, 2022, a young father of 2 drown 10 feet off a dock in Lake Norman.

 

Along with others, a 13 year old boy named Cade witnessed the tragedy from his own back yard.

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One of the onlookers who had jumped in to save the drowning man but couldn't, said “if only I had something to throw to him I think I could have saved him”!

 

This sparked the idea in Cade of "Float it Forward", an advocacy campaign bringing awareness to the importance of installing dockside lifesaving devices.  

 

Cade's "Float it Forward" program encourages people to go out and buy a lifesaver ring for themselves and a friend to install on their docks. He is working locally with the Lake Norman Marine Commission, the Cornelius Police Department Lake Division and the Calvin Newman Foundation to spread the message of encouraging all dock owners to install a lifesaver ring. Lifesaver rings are often found on boats and at swimming pools, but rarely are they found on docks.  This is a simple idea that truly can save many lives.

 

Cade has also started an instragram page called @thedevotedfloat where he asks people to Float it Forward as well as send him fun photos of themselves sporting the lifesaver rings as a way to get the message out in a light hearted way.

 

While Cade has started the movement in the Lake Norman area, he intends to bring his message to lakes all over North Carolina and even nationally.

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1 out of 7 injury related deaths are due to a drowning. There is very little time to rescue someone that is drowning and often those that jump in to save others find themselves quickly in trouble.

 

A flotation device is a valuable rescue tool and simple to use.

 

We appreciate your support in helping us spread our message.