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Instagramthegunnermartinfoundation_yi15al2023-01-29T02:47:57+00:00

the_gunner_martin_foundation

Spreading joy like Gunner and specializing in water safety awareness in Central Florida.

The Gunner Martin Foundation
Florida Drowning Data: February 2023 The worst da Florida Drowning Data: February 2023 The worst day of this families life was on an out-of-state family visit to see the grandparents. Please, the next time you set travel plans, please make sure to have that possibly awkward but life saving conversation beforehand. Please be thinking of the 5 families who lost their babes in the state of Florida in February. 🤍2 of the children were autistic (40%) 🤍 4 of the children were visiting from out of the area (80%) 🤍 A L L drownings are preventable (100%) Ways to prevent drownings: 1. Adult supervision! But for those moments we cannot watch our children (think bathroom, getting groceries, taking out trash, walking into another room) we recommend layers of protection 2. Barriers! At bare minimum install a $10 door exit alarm 3. Enroll your children in survival swim lessons 4. Take a parent CPR class (most hospitals/ local fire stations offer these class at little to no cost!) Message us if you have A N Y question! We want to make sure everyone has the proper information to protect their loved ones at your own home or on vacation. #vacation #airbnb #florida #advocate #childloss #drowningprevention #drowningpreventionawareness #drowningpreventiontrueducation #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #momsofinstagram #childproofing #swimlessons #swim #cpr #dooralarm #florida #educateyourself #protect #realmom #realmomlife #florida #floridabeach #pool
Our TOP 5 water safety tips when traveling during Our TOP 5 water safety tips when traveling during spring break. You deserve this family vacation, it has been earned & meticulously planned & everyone in the family is looking forward to it. We want to help you have a great time, no, the best time on this years spring break vacation! Fun & safety can go hand in hand & we’re all about it! Please be sure to utilize these 5 tips for keeping your little ones water safe when traveling for spring break (or any vacation). 1. Plan ahead - know the place you are staying & find out if there is a pool or other body of water nearby. Check your phone map, this can tell you a lot. 2. Bring your water safety supplies - Exit door alarms & child door handle safety covers are affordable and transportable items to bring with you & can easily fit in your luggage, diaper bag, or purse! 3. Have a water safety discussion- sit down with the whole family & have that discussion about water safety. This should consist of rules for the family to follow during the span of the vacation. Example: for the backyard pool, all house doors are to remained locked, exit door alarms will remain on & the pool fence must be up at all times, even while the pool is in use. 4. Do not use any type of floatation devices for your kids - these give your child a false sense of security, where your child thinks they are able to swim. The problem is, they are not associating the flotation device as the thing keeping them above the water. Once that flotation device comes off during non-swim time, this child can be at a higher risk for drowning, & may be prone to finding their way back in the pool without that flotation device, & not being able to keep themselves above water on their own. 5. Enjoy the pool on your vacation! Take advantage of the pool for family fun time, relax time, fitness time, etc! But please make sure to remove everything, including toys once you’re done. In 2016, Gunner drowned in the backyard pool when we thought he was taking a nap. #watersafety #childloss #realmom #scarymommy #drowningprevention #springbreak
LETS TALK ABOUT SWIM LESSONS: One of the most imp LETS TALK ABOUT SWIM LESSONS: One of the most important skills, if not the most important skill you can invest in your kids lives is SWIM LESSONS. Let’s be real! Kids are expensive.. we pay for daycare, activities, babysitter for date night, toys, and clothes + shoes they seem to outgrow way too quickly! But what actual investment are we making in their lives at an early age? And what actual investments can we make at such an early age that can set them up for success in life? SWIM LESSONS not only allow for family fun in the water, peace of mind if you have a pool, but a life saving skill that will (for the rest of their lives) be of value to them (something to celebrate 🎉 !). Make that investment now, we wish we knew then what we know now. Try to change your mindset and think of swim lessons as an investment in your kids future. Every single day we wish we made that investment with Gunner so much sooner and he could have still been here today, and things would look so much different in our lives today. Please take that extra 15 minutes, and skip that family meal out every week for the next few months and use that money to prioritize your child’s swimming ability and get them enrolled! Now is the perfect time before the rush of summer. If you need help locating an instructor, please message us and we would be happy to help! And don’t forget to S P R E A D J O Y like Gunner. #swimlessons #survivalswim #realmom #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #drowningprevention #drowningpreventiontrueducation #childloss #childlossawareness #advocate #education #CPR #alarm #pool #poolfence #beach #florida #lake #orlando #orlandoflorida #bethechange
The best way to give your child a fighting chance The best way to give your child a fighting chance if they are able to gain unwanted access to the water: S W I M L E S S O N S! We prefer survival swim lessons because we believe children can learn to swim sooner and quicker. If you have a child who does not know how to swim and they are as young as 6 months and can sit unsupported on their own, they may be able to learn how to float! If you are looking for a swim instructor, please reach out to us and we will help find you someone. If you are low income, click the link in bio and click on our scholarship tab to apply for full and partial swim scholarships. Help us spread joy like Gunner! #swimlessons #survivalswim #realmom #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #drowningprevention #drowningpreventionawareness #childloss #childlossawareness #advocate #educate #CPR #alarm #pool #poolfence #beach #pool #lake #florida #orlando #orlandoflorida
Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrating the love you Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrating the love you all have shown us from day one after losing Gunner until now. We thank you all for so much love and support, we feel it daily! Love always, Christina Martin #childloss #childlossawareness #drowningprevention #drowningpreventionawareness #educate #advocate #scarymommy #realmom #realmomlife #realmoms #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #swimlessons #cpr #alarm #florida #orlando #fortlauderdale
From the moment you were born, your name was writt From the moment you were born, your name was written on our heart. That piece is still yours, forever. Every single day, we are reminded of Gunner from his brother and sisters. And not a day goes by we don’t think about what our life could be with him still here. That piece of our heart with Gunners name engraved is what drives the foundation and our mission. It’s not a want, or something we chose, but a need and a deep desire for change. In the very pit of our stomach, with the hurt and pain we went through, and still have to navigate through every day.. From the darkest of days we had to push through, where we didn’t know what day it was, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t laugh, couldn’t be. We take all of that hurt/pain/drive/desire and have funneled into our why. Because we know the pain of losing a child, because we walked through the worst day/month/year of our entire lives and made it out, because we had the support system of our dreams. We are here to make an impact on others, one parent/friend/grandparent/caregiver at a time, in hopes this will never be the outcome for another family again. Gunner was born on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 2, 2014 💙💙 #childloss #childlossawareness #childlossgrief #childlosssupport #childlosssurvivor #impact #drowningprevention #watersafetyawareness #watersafetyeducation #bornonsuperbowlsunday #advocate #swimlessons #superbowl #cpr #alarm #scarymommy #realmom #realmomlife #realmoments
4 Water Safety tips from a mom of a drowning victi 4 Water Safety tips from a mom of a drowning victim #watersafety #drowningprevention #childloss #childdrowning #swimlessons #cpr #alarm #watersafetyawareness #drowningpreventiontrueducation #advocate #educate #realmom #realmomlife #scarymommy #momsofinstagram #florida #orlando #orlandoflorida #bethechange
Over $1,700 dollars raised for Gunner’s 9th birt Over $1,700 dollars raised for Gunner’s 9th birthday. Thank you for each and every $9 donation and the donations that were $90, and $109, and everything in between, and beyond! We are so very grateful and so thankful you chose to help us celebrate our sweet Gunners 9th birthday! We will be purchasing 100 door alarms to distribute to families in need in Central Florida and the remainder will go towards swim scholarships. Also, we have so many exciting things to share in the next few months. Swim scholarships will be awarded shortly and we have some amazing partners we can’t wait to share with everyone. #thankyou #childloss #drowningprevention #watersafetyawareness #watersafety #education #advocate #realmom #scareymommy #amazonsmile #instamom #fundraiser #charity #momsofinstagram #kids #swimming #pool #cpr #alarm #realmomlife #realmoments
Happy 9th birthday (in heaven) G U N N E R. From Happy 9th birthday (in heaven) G U N N E R. From the very moment you were born on, Super Bowl Sunday Feb 2, 2014, you were my first littlest love. When Chris was traveling as a professional football player and we stayed back, you were my best friend and my distraction from missing him. When you started walking, you were my little backyard adventure. When you started talking and playing, you were my entertainment and smiles. From visiting zoos from coast to coast, and being by my side every single day, I love you and I thank you for being my very first smile I got to see in the morning to those big bear hugs I got at night. The impression of you is still right here, my love. Growing still, every day. 9 years of it. We love you, we love you. W E. L O V E. Y O U! The piece of my heart that grew when you were born, still has your name on it. Yours forever, a little more crowded in there than it once was, surrounded by the place for your brother and sisters, but still there, still the same. As we celebrate Gunners 9th birthday today, we ask that you consider donating $9 in honor of him and his legacy, as we help others in his name. #happybirthday #happybirthdayinheaven #childloss #childlossawareness #childlosssurvivor #childlosssupport #drowningprevention #drowningpreventionawareness #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #advocate #florida #orlando #disney #educate #advocate #cpr #swimlessons #barriers #alarm #missyou
Florida Drowning Data: January 2023 When I used t Florida Drowning Data: January 2023 When I used to do presentations for the Florida Department of Health, I would always say “in the time it takes you to:unload your groceries, take out your trash, load the dishwasher… a drowning can occur.” And sadly this month we see just this. Please never forget this can happen to anyone in a moment. As we close out the month of January, please be thinking about the 8* families who lost there babes in the state of Florida. 🤍 3 of the drownings happened at air bnb (37.5%) 🤍 2 of the children were autistic (25%) 🤍 7 drowned in a backyard swimming pool (87.5%) 🤍 A L L drownings are preventable (100%) Ways to prevent drownings: 1. Adult supervision! But for those moments we cannot watch our children (think bathroom, getting groceries, taking out trash, walking into another room) we recommend layers of protection 2. Barriers! At bare minimum install a $10 door exit alarm 3. Enroll your children in survival swim lessons 4. Take a parent CPR class (most hospitals/ local fire stations offer these class at little to no cost!) Message us if you have A N Y question! We want to make sure everyone has the proper information to protect their loved ones at your home and on vacation. #vacation #airbnb #florida #advocate #childloss #drowningprevention #drowningpreventionawareness #drowningpreventiontrueducation #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #momsofinstagram #childproofing #swimlessons #swim #cpr #dooralarm #florida #educateyourself #protect #realmom #realmomlife
In Memory of Gunner we… H E L P O T H E R S! In Memory of Gunner we… H E L P O T H E R S! In 2017 Chris and Christina started handing out bags of food and personal care items to the homeless community in efforts to S P R E A D J O Y like Gunner. This quickly turned into our Spread Joy initiative where family and friends helped us raise funds to provide fast food gift cards to the homeless. Last year in 2022 we raised enough money to buy over 160 $5 gift cards and passed our a meal for now (chick fil a sandwiches) and a meal for later (gift cards) as well as our snack/resource bags. Thank you everyone who has donated to the foundation in honor of Gunner. We are forever grateful for helping us keep his memory and impact alive. #spreadjoy #drowningpreventionawareness #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #swimlessons #pool #poolsafety #moms #momsofinstagram #kids #kidsofinstagram #realmom #childloss #educate #advocate #notonemore #helpothers #giveback #nonprofit #cpr #swim #swimlessons #safetyfirst #teachthemyoung
In Memory of Gunner we… G I V E B A C K! Eve In Memory of Gunner we… G I V E B A C K! Every donation to the Gunner Martin Foundation gives back! This year we are giving door alarms + swim lesson scholarship with the goal of helping families and communities become safer. Gunner’s birthday is February 2! We are asking our friends and family to donate $9 in honor of Gunner’s 9th birthday. You can click the link in our bio to go to our donate button, or you can go to the previous post to scan our QR codes. Please help us reach those families, and be apart of change. Drownings are preventable. Thank you everyone who has already donated, we are so grateful for you and appreciate all the support. 💙💙 #happybirthday #giveback #drowningpreventionawareness #watersafetyawareness #education #bestbirthday #9yearsold #inheaven #advocate #pool #poolsafety #cpr #swimlessons #moms #momsofinstagram #cutekids #kidsofinstagram #rip
N I N E days until Gunner’s 9th birthday! Plea N I N E days until Gunner’s 9th birthday! Please consider donating $9 in honor of Gunner’s 9th birthday. In years past we raised money for our Spread Joy initiative - providing $5 gift cards of local fast food restaurants in which we passed out to the homeless year round. This year we want to raise money for our Water Safety initiative - to purchase door alarms for families in need who have a pool or body of water outside and who cannot afford one. Please consider donating $9 in honor of Gunner’s 9th Birthday and be apart of educating parents and providing resources to under privileged families. Be apart of our mission to end childhood drownings. Be apart of helping us reach one family at a time. Be apart of G U N N E R ‘ S L E G A C Y! If you’d like to give, you can scan the QR code to donate to our Venmo or PayPal. You can also go to our website (link in bio) and donate there. 💙 #9thbirthday #inheaven #childloss #childlosssupport #amazonsmile #drowningprevention #drowning #watersafety #water #pool #poolsafety #beach #airbnb #orlandoflorida #floridalaw #advocate #instagram #instamom #kids #education #educate #alarm #protectyourkids #moms #momsofinstagram
Drownings can happen in seconds.. If your child Drownings can happen in seconds.. If your child ever goes missing, A L W A Y S check the water first. Think pool, lake, canal, pond, ocean, bath tub, etc.. You want to make sure you are checking those water areas first because our best case scenario your child is in the kitchen throwing the pots and pans all over the place and making a huge mess with the flour, making for a cute insta video. For more information on water safety, please follow us @the_gunner_martin_foundation. #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #momsofinstagram #drowningprevention #safety #poolsafety #pool #swimlessons #kids #familyfun #safetyfirst #amazonsmile #cpr #drowning #advocate #education
Turning the loss of our child… into a way to h Turning the loss of our child… into a way to help other families. We laid Gunner down for a nap, and that was the last time we saw our sweet babe alive. We strive to educate and provide awareness in hopes that this never happened to another family. We see you mama/friend, and we are here for you. #grief #childloss #childlossawareness #watersafety #drowningprevention #momlife #momsofinstagram #florida #orlando #amazonsmile #instagram #pool #water #fun #rainbow #throughthestorm #spreadjoy #loveothers #loveyourself #changemaker #advocate #friendofgunner #gunnersgift #gunner
The Florida Law States: Every new pool built afte The Florida Law States: Every new pool built after the year 2000 is required to have one approved barrier from this list of 5. 🤍pool alarm 🤍door alarm 🤍pool fence 🤍pool safety cover 🤍 self-closing, self-latching doors Make sure your pool is up to code, install at the bare minimum, a $10 door alarm. You can find a link to the door alarm if you click on the archived Instagram post “2000 pool law” and go to the second post. #kids #safety #watersafety #drowningprevention #floridalaw #florida #orlando #safekids #moms #educated #idoitformyfamily #thegunnermartinfoundation #pool #water #fun #instagram #swimlessons #cpr #barriers #pooldesign #poolalarm #alarm #alarmsystem #doitforgunner #spreadjoy
Amazon smile announced today that they will no lon Amazon smile announced today that they will no longer be donating to nonprofit organizations of your choice via the Amazon smile platform beginning Feb 20, 2023 and instead will be donating to specific organizations amazon chooses. The Gunner Martin foundation wants to thank everyone who reached out today to share this with us and asked how to help. Thank you all who have signed up, over the years Amazon smile has donated close to $500 to us and we are so grateful for that opportunity and to you all. If you are looking for ways to support us at no cost, you can: 💙share our posts 💙like our posts 💙comment on our posts 💙share Gunners story 💙tell family and friends about water safety 💙spread joy like Gunner #amazonsmile #nonprofit #watersafetyawareness #drowningprevention
Every parent’s N I G H T M A R E. The smallest Every parent’s N I G H T M A R E. The smallest summary written about the worst day of our life. This is the excerpt from April 6, 2016, the day Gunner drowned. Over the last 6.5 years, we have seen hundreds of these little excerpts from other families that have lost a child to drowning in the state of Florida. This year, we will be sharing some of them with you. Normal families, who love their kids like you do, who look like you, are involved with their kids like you, who set play dates like you, who have birthday parties for their kids like you have for yours, and who vacation with their kids, just like you love to do. Who were not educated about the dangers of a backyard pool/bathtub/pond nearby, and who will forever be missing their sweet babe forever. I want you to know: 💙 No one is drown proof 💙Please don’t think this could not happen to you, take the necessary steps to make sure your child is protected 💙 Adult supervision is key to protect our kids 💙Barriers are used for the moments there is a lapse in supervision (think grabbing groceries from car, or using bathroom, sleeping at night, etc) 💙Swim lessons can save your child’s life if they gain access to a pool 💙Learn rescue breath CPR as a worst case scenario Please message us if you need help locating swim lesson. If you are low income and cannot pay for swim lessons, please message us and we will see if we can set you up with a swim scholarship. #notonemore #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #child #mom #momlife #momsofinstagram #drowningprevention #advocate #watchthewater #florida #orlando #mommy #momsofinstagram #angel #kids #safety
They are my W H Y after loss.. The reason why They are my W H Y after loss.. The reason why we strive to educate others on water safety: we never want this to happen to another family. We laid Gunner down for a nap, and that was the last time we saw him alive. #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #drowningpreventionawareness #momlife #momsofinstagram #familytime #orlando #florida #drowningprevention #poolsafety #igmoms #reallife #truestory #safety #instagram #instagramreels #instagamer #reels #advocate #iloveyou
Why are barriers important? Barriers delay access Why are barriers important? Barriers delay access to the water. This means barriers give us and our children more time if they were to ever gain access outside without our knowledge. When it comes to a drowning, more time could mean the difference between a fatal drowing and a non-fatal drowning. It could be the difference of a child gaining access to the water or not being able to reach the water at all. Remember it only takes a moment to lose site of your child. But also, we eat, sleep, use the bathroom, we take out the trash, cook, and many of us have multiple children so we become excellent multitaskers (hold the baby, read with one child, help play with blocks with the other, we know mama, we get it!) Barriers allow for extra layers of protection. As a mom, grandma, aunt, etc, we would do anything to ensure the health and safety of our babes; let’s make sure we add extra layers of protection to help keep our kids safe around the water! A $10 exit door alarm could have saved Gunner’s life. #moms #momsofinstagram #momshelpingmoms #momlife #safetyfirst #safety #watersafety #watersmartfl #watersafetyawareness #pool #poolsafety #poolalarm #poolmom #pooltime #poolday #beachlife #health #kids #kidsofinstagram #kidsofinsta #swimming #swimsafety #swimbabes #swimteam #orlando #florida #family #families #poolfences #cpr
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