The San Clemente Lifeguard & Junior Guard Foundation

Thank you, San Clemente lifeguards, for keeping our beach visitors safe this past Independence Day weekend. More than 60,000 people came to the beach. Our lifeguards performed 244 rescues and more than 5,000 preventative safety contacts. Everyone went home safely. Great job, men and women of Station 56!

Meet our Summer 2021 San Clemente lifeguards. They will be keeping us all safe this busy Independence Day weekend. Please be safe and if you have the chance, thank them for their service. See you at the beach!

The first session of JGs is a wrap! The session ended with good size waves all week, awards and an epic beach potluck. Congratulations to JG Coordinator Raselle Chetwynd, our JG instructors and all our JGs on a great start to the summer. Looks like next session is also going to start with some great surf. Be safe and have fun!

Junior Lifeguards starts tomorrow! It's going to be a fantastic summer. Welcome back and thanks to our outstanding JG instructors, Raselle Chetwynd, Parker Bennis, Andrew Mansoor, Sawyer Labbe, Patrick Workman and Asher Encinas. Let's go go go!

On this Memorial Day and every day, let us never forget the ultimate sacrifice made by our brave women and men who fought and died to keep us a free nation. And our hearts and gratitude also go out to their families. We will always remember and be grateful.

It's National Beach Safety Week. Here's an excellent video prepared by our outstanding Lifeguard Department. See you at the beach! https://fb.watch/5KfwFw4lPD/

The trolley is back! Thanks to the City for displaying ocean safety information again this year. Look for it when you take your next ride!

Great waves on the way. Let’s all be safe out there! Remember to always check with the lifeguards, swim/surf with a buddy and know your limits. See you at the beach! https://www.ocregister.com//strong-surf-dangerous-conditi/

With Junior Guards starting soon, we thought this was a good time to share how the program got started. Thanks to Foundation Board member Duncan Wilson for the video. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpiUXL4DscQ Learn more about us and the history of lifeguarding in San Clemente at www.scljgfoundation.com.

Congratulations to Leo Norgren on passing his Junior Lifeguard qualifying swim. Great job, Leo. Have fun this summer! For information on San Clemente's Junior Lifeguard program, visit https://www.san-clemente.org//beach-saf/junior-lifeguards-. Scholarships are available. It's going to be an epic summer to be a JG!

This is going to be really cool! Mike Brousard and Ed Vodrazka are going to share some epic stories from their careers as lifeguards. Don't miss it and please pass it on!

Yesterday, we were honored to present a check for $5,875 to the City of San Clemente. The donation will fund 25 Junior Lifeguard scholarships. These are kids that otherwise would not be able to participate in the JG program. Thank you to all our supporters who helped make this happen. To learn more about how you can join us in supporting our lifeguards and Junior Guards, visit scljgfoundation.com. You can find information on Junior Lifeguards and JG scholarships at https://www.san-clemente.org//beach-saf/junior-lifeguards-

Ever wonder what lifeguards do when they hang up their fins and rescue buoy for good? Check out this article about Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Gerard, a former San Clemente Lifeguard and former member of our San Clemente Lifeguard & Junior Guard Foundation board. Well done, Robert!

Each year, our lifeguards bring an ocean safety presentation to the local elementary schools. Due to COVID, they were unable to visit this year. Instead, they made this video as a resource for teachers. Well done, Station 56! Helping save lives in new ways. Please share this with others. Thank you! https://youtu.be/cB33YhjAHGU

Here's another one of our San Clemente Lifeguard & Junior Guard Foundation role models doing great things to keep us all safe in the ocean. Morgan Hoesterey provides us a lesson on how to stay calm during a long hold down. Thanks, Morgan! https://morganismyname.com/how-not-to-panic-during-a-wipeo/

Our role models continue to do incredible things! You might remember that in 2019 we held our Role Model Series. Kirra Pinkerton was one of our role models for our Girl Power in the Ocean event. Now, she’s blowing up the Internet with her surfing on a recent trip to Indonesia. https://stabmag.com/stabci/kirra-pinkerton-surfs-indonesia/ When she was asked about her advice to all the younger girls as part of our event, here’s what she had to say.... Just have fun with whatever you do. Not everything has to be serious, so surfing with friends and pushing each other to get better together is something that I like because you can improve and have the motivation to get in the water every day. Go Kirra! You are such an outstanding role model.

Great article in the OC register regarding Rainbow Sandals recent contributions to area nonprofits. A big thank you again to Sparky and his team for the extremely generous $5,000 donation to our foundation. https://ocregister-ca.newsmemory.com/

We recently learned that former San Clemente Lifeguard Lieutenant, Hank Barnes, passed away last Monday. Hank was a great guy and a true professional. Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Hank’s wife and family. He will live on in our hearts and the spirit of Station 56. Hank is pictured in the back row, far left of the attached photo. The following is a tribute written by former San Clemente Lifeguard Lieutenant Steve Bro. ... Former San Clemente City Lifeguard Lieutenant Harry C. Barnes Ill, also known as Hank or Bear passed away December 7, 2020. Starting lifeguarding in 1960 and working until early 1974, he became an integral cog in the Department. Between working positions in towers, the rescue boat, and units, he was well educated to become a permanent Lifeguard Lieutenant. Most of us first became acquainted with him during Lifeguard Training, when he conducted the classes on Communications, Codes, Report Writing and Administration. Hank was probably the most even keeled individual in all of the upper administration levels of the Department. Whether you had pulled a stunt, caused a Departmental problem or had broken a General Orders rule, you knew no one would be more fair in dealing with you than Hank. Perhaps his two year hiatus, serving as a Huey helicopter crew chief for an Army general during the Vietnam War, gave him a special perspective on how to deal with young troops/ lifeguards. While there was a Chief and a Captain participating in the Departments daily activities, Hank was the glue that held the Communications and Administrative side together. He was cool under pressure, constantly calm and was always able to affect the assistance that Tower and Unit Guards needed to be successful. His ability to coordinate rescues and medical aids over the four operating divisions, comprising the 20 miles of beaches the Department covered, were lessons well learned by all. He was always on the lookout to mentor younger interested guards, spotting those with natural talent and a desire to move ahead in the Department. To those of us who worked closely with him, he evoked integrity, attention to detail, the insistence to do the job right, to do it correctly and to be proactive in rescue work. It is fair to say that when Hank resigned in 1974, that there was a void created that was never truly filled. It was an honor to have worked for him and with him. Rest in Peace Hank, you've earned it.

Almost there! Can you please help us reach our goal so we can better support our lifeguards and Junior Lifeguards? Thank you!

Almost there! Please help us reach our goal. Thank you!