The Michael Jeffrey Stewart Memorial Swim Lesson Scholarship Fund

Michael Jeffrey Stewart (affectionately known as Mikey) at 6 years of age, passed away June 2024 after a tragic drowning accident. Mikey was born as a micro-preemie with an 11% chance of survival and defied all of the odds becoming a fun thriving very intelligent child who played sports, and lived a full active life.

This summer Mikey was eager to start summer camp which included pool sessions for swimming. He was so eager to attend and make new friends that he fell asleep the night before the start of camp with his goggles on. Unfortunately due to the tragic drowning accident while at camp this would be the last day of Michael’s precious life.

Mikey is a beloved son, brother, and cherished member of the Stewart family who is gone too soon and will always be missed. This tragic accident reminds us that drowning is the leading cause of death in children and want to ensure that other families with exceptional children like Michael have an opportunity to have swimming lessons in order to decrease the chances of tragedies like this occurring again.

Walter Stewart and family have partnered with the Hope Floats Foundation (a national 501c3 nonprofit organization that works with swim schools to increase access to swimming lessons for families who otherwise could not afford them) to establish the Michael Jeffrey Stewart Memorial Swim Lesson Scholarship Fund, which will fund swim lesson scholarships for exceptional children with financial need throughout New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We believe that this is a way to honor Mikey’s great legacy.

-For The Love of Michael Jeffrey 💚