0 black kids to learn how to swim. >> black kids drown twice as much as any other ethnic group. >> they got rid of the community pools because they didn't want the races mixing. they filled the pool either with concrete or with dirt where i grew up because they didn't want people mixing. that's one reason why a lot of black kids didn't learn how to swim in the '50s and '60s. >> right. because the only thing they were able to do was play in the fire hydrants. sometimes they would sneak into the pools late at night, and that's how our kids started drowning. >> whenever i hear that people can't swim, it makes me sad, and it also infuriates me because i know somewhere along the way that they didn't have someone like coach fute who took them under their wing to teach them how to swim. >> there you go! >> and i immediately want to get in the pool with them and teach them. probably around 13 years old i became a lifeguard. i helped my sisters, who are older than me, to swim. i helped them become better swimmers. i taught my nieces to swim in the backyard pool. get in. and both of my great nephews. >> all these things that i do for my seniors and as well for the youth teams are things that were taught for me, and i enjoy giving back the things that i've learned. >> can you imagine doing anything else? >> i can't imagine doing anything else or being anywhere else than with my seniors. i just love 'em. i just love 'em. those are my people. those are my peeps, as you may say, yeah. >> i didn't know i would get so emotional with that. water has been such a huge part of my life and has really kept me sane. so if you pay attention to my social media, you'll see me out on the water, out in a boat. that's how i keep -- that's my happy place. and becoming a lifeguard and learning how to swim when i was a kid really changed my life and broadened my horizon and perspective. and i have a very healthy respect for the water. i'm not afraid of water but a very healthy respect. i try to teach that to my nieces and my great nephews or any kid that i can get my hands on to help them learn how to swim because black kids die -- black people die a lot from drowning because they don't know how to swim. we need to change that. so hope you enjoyed that, and i hope you enjoy the spevl tcial that's coming up. be sure to tune in on sunday at 8:00 p.m. for a one hour champions for change special that will lift you up. we'll be right back, everyone. >> announcer: champions for change is presented by charles schwab. go to cnn.com/champions to learn more about these stories of transformative individuals and the lasting impact of their actions. in 2012, we created the new york sled rangers. now we're tasked with the wheelchair sports federation. moments like this is, wow, look what we've created here together. >> sports really are for everyone. >> it's changing perceptions. parents watch their kids for the first time, and they see disabled kids come in and they see hockey players leave. this thing they thought was lost wasn't lost. they just didn't know where to find it.