Cornerstone Swim

Amanda Cullison

Hi there!  My name is Amanda Cullison.  I have been married to my supportive husband, Brian, for over seven years.  We have two sweet boys, ages 3 and 5, who keep us busy playing baseball and swimming.  I have been a certified occupational therapy assistant for almost twelve years, working predominantly with the geriatric population.  Although I’ve spent most of my occupational therapy career working in a nursing home setting, I have been lucky enough to also work in a pediatric sensory integration clinic.  My desire to help others spans across all ages.

I have always had a passion for physical fitness and swimming, so when I enrolled my oldest son, Bode, in a preschool with indoor swim lessons, I was ecstatic!  Soon after Bode turned three, I learned about the fatal drowning of Levi Hughes while vacationing in Fort Morgan, AL.  My family had just vacationed in this remote location nine months prior.  Levi was the same age as my Bode.  Following Levi’s tragedy, I developed a friendship with Levi’s mother, Nicole. She educated me on the startling statistics of childhood drownings, including the fact that nearly 80% of fatal drownings that occur are males (cdc.gov).  I had just given birth to my second son, Archer, and I was on a mission to help save lives!  I wanted to educate parents on swim safety and help prevent childhood drownings.  With all good intentions, using just my voice was not enough.  I needed to get into action.  With the encouragement of my children’s preschool and Nicole Hughes, I started my journey to train and teach survival swim lessons.  I researched several survival swim training options, but eventually decided SSDN was the perfect fit me.  This program has taught me that through survival swim instruction, we really can help save lives, one child at a time.  In addition to my survival swim instructor certification, I am certified in lifeguarding with CPR/AED for professional rescuers and first aid.  I look forward to the opportunity to give your child the skills necessary to be safe and confident in the water.