Micah Raskin Funds Programs for Handicapped Children in the Inner City to Swim on the Weekends
Micah Raskin is a professional poker player who volunteers at many community-building organizations in his neighborhood in Nassau County, New York. In addition to regularly helping out at soup kitchens and encouraging new after-school programs, Raskin has been an instrumental component of local programs helping handicapped children in the inner city swim on the weekends.
In Nassau County and Queens NY, Micah Raskin in known for his philanthropic work which has helped feed thousands of homeless people, create a safe environment for numerous after-school kids, 2 schools for children, and fund three temples for the elderly. In addition, he’s raised money and secured plans for swimming programs for handicapped children from the inner city.
Micah Raskin acknowledges the many physical benefits that swimming has on the body, from increased muscle strength to improved coordination. But he also recognizes the importance of swimming lessons, which can help save lives. With these benefits in mind, Raskin has supported the creation of specially-designed weekend swimming programs that can help handicap children gain critical abilities.
“Swimming programs are invaluable to handicapped children and their families as it teaches the kids basic survival techniques as well as acclimates them to recreational activities in the water,” says Micah Raskin. “Besides these benefits, our swimming program brings together a community of families with similar lifestyles and struggles who can come together to enjoy their weekends in a wholesome environment.”
Swimming, he says, has more total benefits for the body than almost any other activity, regardless of individual circumstances. It’s a low-intensity activity, for starters, that can increase in difficulty if desired. Swimming gives the entire body–legs, arms, core, back, etc.–a workout that increases strength, balance, and flexibility. It can even have a soothing effect on achy joints and muscles, not to mention cooling the body off during hot days.
Swimming has tremendous benefits for all children, but learning to swim is particularly beneficial for children with special needs since it can often mean the difference between life and death. For handicapped children, learning to swim helps them achieve more balance, coordination, and enhance the development of motor skills. Swimming can also vastly improve their range of motion.
Having a place to learn to swim with other children facing the same difficulty also has plenty of emotional benefits for the kids and their families. It helps them function more efficiently in a group of other high-functioning special needs children. The progress they make is shared throughout the group and in their individual performance, giving kids small milestones and goals to meet and allowing them to witness their growth first-hand.
“There aren’t enough programs like this in the world, much less here in one of the boroughs of busy New York City,” says Micah Raskin. “They give kids with disabilities the chance to grow, make new friends, learn crucial skills, and improve their physicality. And it’s all in a safe and supportive environment of caring, qualified leaders.”