Wanda Butts lost her teenage son in a drowning accident six years ago, and ever since then she has been working to change a troubling statistic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African-American children between the ages of 5 and 14 drown at a rate almost three times higher than white children in the same age range.
Since 2007, Butts and her nonprofit, the Josh Project, have helped nearly 1,200 children - most of them minorities - learn how to swim.
CNN asked Butts for her thoughts on being chosen as one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012.
CNN: What was the reaction when you found out you were a top 10 CNN Hero?
Wanda Butts: Shock and unbelief! I was thinking that this could not be happening to me, just as I felt back on August 6, 2006, when I was told that Josh had drowned.
|
Filed under: CNN Heroes |
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
soundoff (No Responses)