For Wanda, the bigger the better. Her goal is to prevent this from ever happening to another family, "it hits me right here because my son was Josh and he drowned at the age of 16, August 6, 2006. Josh had never had a swimming lesson. He didn't' know how to swim and didn't know water safety."
Five years after his death, their calling the festival "5 and Alive." To represent the lives they've potentially saved through The Josh Project, and the fact that the Butts family is still going strong, "we believe swimming is a life skill. A basic life skill, all children should know."
Shardae Taylor agrees, and that's why she brought her children, "I want him to learn how to swim. It's important."
For Wanda, that's what makes The Josh Project worthwhile. Since The Josh Project began in 2006, more than 1,000 children have learned to swim through the program. For more information on how to sign up, visit Joshproject.org
