A wish to be granted

Mike Sciacca

It began as a vision, grew into a goal and now all that separates the

dream from reality is a few details.

Once everything is set, Water Wishes Inc. will be set for takeoff.

The program’s ambitions are quite noble. Water Wishes, a nonprofit

corporation, will target underprivileged youth, specifically in an effort

to help them gain an appreciation for the ocean through scuba diving and

other water activities.

Its overall mission is to provide an environment and curriculum that

promotes and nurtures self-image, self-expression and self-awareness in

children and young adults.

It is the brainchild of Sheryl Norwood, a scuba diving enthusiast and

tireless volunteer.

Norwood, 29 and the mother of two, has been scuba diving for 10 years

and volunteering at Olive Crest, a safe haven for abused children in

Santa Ana, for the past five years. There she was in charge of running

activities for the children. Her volunteering dates back to her college

days.

She decided to combine these two passions in an effort to lift the

spirits of those at Olive Crest.

“It started off as an idea to help those kids but the more I thought

about it, the more I wanted to open the program up to other kids who

could not afford to scuba dive,” said Norwood who, right now, runs the

program out of her home but is hoping to get office space through

funding. “Eventually we want to include Orangewood [another home for

abused children in Fullerton].”

Norwood has received a blessing from Olive Crest to forge ahead with

Water Wishes, although there is “red tape,” she said, to go through with

the state.

“We know Sheryl very well, of course, and she is a terrific

volunteer,” said Debbie Painter, Community Involvement Coordinator at

Olive Crest. “We don’t get funding for this type of thing -- especially

the fun stuff -- so we really depend on our volunteers in many, many

ways.

“Water Wishes not only will work to get these kids -- and we have kids

here who specifically are interested in the subject of marine biology --

certified but educated, as well. We do have guidelines to follow, such as

lifeguards on the spot, and these dives are considered to be the easiest,

safest dives. We’re excited about the possibilities of this program.”

Water Wishes also will reach out to state- or privately owned

facilities for orphaned teens, nonviolent first-time youth offenders and

children from areas with high violence and gang activities.

Although its primary focus is with at-risk kids, the group also will

welcome students from families that can afford the lessons -- as a way to

offset the cost for those who cannot -- as well as to increase the

exposure and demand for the program.

Scuba diving typically is considered a high-cost sport. The equipment

can be expensive and classes can run a couple hundred dollars a pop. But

at Water Wishes, funding has come through private donations and the

program has a grant writer who is submitting proposals. Securing the

funding is the key if Water Works is to meet its targeted launching date

of Oct. 1.

Thus far, Norwood said, car washes and candy bar sales have helped

cover the program’s costs.

An unusual aspect of the Water Wishes scuba program is that it will

run between eight and 10 weeks and will educate youngsters not only about

water safety, but various facets of marine biology as well. Typically,

most regular certification courses run for four weeks and focus only on

the importance of safety.

The program will feature certified and licensed divers.

“We will offer educational components in several areas,” Norwood said.

“Among them, we will provide lessons in marine biology, including

identification of local species and habitats; teach environmental

preservation of our oceans through pollution reduction and recycling

activities; and we also will introduce them to the science of

oceanography.”

In addition, the program will reinforce fundamental math and language

skills by using dive timetables and require students to keep a journal of

their experiences with a final essay due at the end of the session.

The essays, Norwood said, will be submitted to various literature

contests and will bolster the student’s self expression and awareness.

For older students, ages 16 to 18, mentoring programs will provide

guest speakers from a variety of scuba-related careers, pair interested

students with a professional in a scuba-related field who can guide them

toward successful vocational training, as well as help with college

selection, application submission and the search for grants and/or

funding.

At the conclusion of the program, students will go on a weekend trip

to Catalina Island.

“Water Wishes has plenty to offer,” Norwood concluded, “but the thing

that will mean success to me is to see on the kids’ faces the impact that

I think this program can have. A lot of these kids have lost hope, and

our wish is to give them back that hope.”