OUR PROGRAMS

Bill Wadley 2017


Our 2nd Swim Clinic hosted by Bill Wadley, former Ohio State Men’s Swim Coach and founder for Swim for Life Ohio. Money raised goes directly to all programs to help fund swim safety education and lessons for underserved families. 

World’s Largest Swim Lesson 2017


In partnership with St. Charles Park district, we took part in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson along with over 600 other locations worldwide! The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ is designed to provide local waterparks, community pools and other aquatic facilities with an event that draws attention to this issue, encourages participation in swimming lesson programs and helps spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ 

Celebrating the Life of Pauly D 2017


Thank you to all those that supported us in one way or another last weekend at our 2nd Annual Celebrating the Life of Pauly fundraising event. It was an incredible night! We kicked off the night with a live performance from Roger Ortega and Elliott from Art Beat Live painted the Chicago skyline right in front of us on the dance floor. As we tried our luck in the casino, DJ Pauly D showed up to spin live and we were on the dance floor all night! We cannot forget about a visit from the one and only, Mike Starr from Goodfellas. The entertainment was outstanding and guests also had the chance to  try their luck at silent auction, raffle and balloon pops! It is another night we will never forget. Thank you to all of those that supported us. We raised just over $85,000 at this years event! This opens so many possibilities for the children in our community next year.  

Bill Wadley Swim Clinic April 2016


In 2016, we started our first partnership with Coach Bill Wadley from OSU’s Men’s Swim Team. Coach Bill, an Illinois native, has a passion for swimming and wanted to build upon his competitive coaching experience to help children in need. He founded Swim For Life Ohio to teach swim safety and provide swim lessons to underprivileged youth. The Pauly D Foundation provides funding to help expand the reach of children under age 5 in the Swim for Life program. To date, Swim For Life has provided over 2500 swim lessons to more than 700 children. The Pauly D Foundation has provided funding for almost 25% of the program. 

National Drowning Prevention Alliance 2016


In March, 2016 the Pauly D Foundation attended the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) Conference. We learned a lot at this conference and we were able to meet and strategize with our partners at Families United. We are looking forward to this continued collaboration towards our mission.

The Rose Parade June 2015


On June 7, 2015, the Pauly D Foundation joined the Rose Parade in Roselle, Illinois. We walked with friends and family while passing out bags and candy to help raise awareness about water safety and drowning prevention.

Tough Mudder May 2015


Supporters of the Pauly D Foundation participated in the Tough Mudder Challenge in Chicago on May, 2015 raising $12,901. Our teams ran, jumped, climbed, and crawled through a 12 mile obstacle course in support of water safety and drowning prevention.

Goldfish Swim School Oct 2014


Pauly D Foundation, in partnership with Goldfish Swim School, kicked off our first event on October 24th, 2014 at Goldfish Swim School in St. Charles. This event featured guest speaker Rowdy Gaines who demonstrated water safety tips. The Goldfish Swim School staff provided water safety demonstrations to parents and kids. In addition, the ribbon cutting ceremony took place. Thank you to all our supporters that came out to our first event!

Pauly D Balloon Release June, 2014


On June 16, 2014, friends and family gathered for a balloon launch to honor Pauly and watched as the balloons floated to greet him in Heaven.