Our Mission

The mission of Central Adult Learn-to-Swim, Inc. is to teach Louisville-area adults to swim for free. Located in West Louisville at Central High School, we are the sole provider of barrier-free access to adult swim lessons and aquatic fitness programming. We believe every adult should at a minimum know how to be safe and comfortable in the water and at a maximum learn to swim and utilize swimming as a lifetime fitness activity.

How we started

In April 2018, we recognized a complete absence of equitable, no-cost swimming opportunities for adults in Louisville. After teaching the first person to swim, we soon had 40 people eager to learn. Two weeks later, 500 more had joined a waitlist that now contains 2,000 people, and we were moving into the pool as quickly as possible. Central High School in West Louisville allows us to use their pool and facilities, a partnership that’s created the nation’s largest free adult swim instruction program, Central Adult Learn-to-Swim (Central ALTS). As of 2024, we have taught 750 adults to swim.

Why it’s important

According to the American Red Cross, 54% of adults cannot swim, and in a 20-year period in Louisville, well over half of all drownings were adults. When an adult does not know how to swim, children in that household have only a 19% chance of learning. In April 2019, 144 people fatally drowned in the United States: 93 were adults (USA Swimming Foundation). That same month, our nonprofit taught 70 adults to swim, free of charge.

Who we are

The founders are Amy Benton and William Kolb, two long-time swim coaches and instructors. But Central ALTS is the dozens of returning swimmers and graduates who are now swim instructors themselves. That’s the magic of the program: once-fearful students become passionate about their new-found skills and want to give back to others in the community by becoming certified to teach new students. For almost every class we graduate, we add more instructors to our program – enabling us to continue reaching more people.

Central ALTS is open to any adult in Jefferson County, and:

- 83% of the graduates are over 40; 
- 85% are black women; and 
- 60% live in West or Southwest Louisville with no year-round public pools 

How we do it

Most adults come to Central ALTS with a history of little or no access to pools, fear of water, and generations of non-swimming relatives. In four one-hour sessions, swimmers overcome these barriers through our model that meets them wherever they are on their journey to the water. We address the complex nature of fear, past trauma, and the intimidation of being a beginner as an adult. See personal stories.

Our Board

Rosetta Holland, Chair

Rosetta was among the program’s first graduating classes. She learned to swim in February of 2019 and has since become a regular participant at Open Swim. As Board Chair, Rosetta works to oversee the governance and operation of the Central ALTS program with its Co-Founders and Directors. She works at Churchill Downs as Senior Manager of Premium Business, overseeing a variety of traffic within the Premium Sales Department, including VIP sales and experience.

Amy Benton, Treasurer & Co-Founder

Amy co-founded Central ALTS in 2018 after teaching a young man who lived in West Louisville to swim, only to learn he wouldn’t be able to utilize his newfound skills with his friends or family as no one else knew how and he lived nowhere near an open or accessible public pool. Amy sought a grant from the U.S. Masters Swimming Swimming Saves Lives Foundation and worked with William to lead the first four ALTS classes. Amy is a mother of three and works as a swim instructor at Lakeside Swim Club.

William Kolb, Secretary & Co-Founder

William co-founded Central ALTS in 2018 when Amy enlisted his help in recruiting and training volunteer instructors from the U.S. Masters Swimming community in Louisville. William is head coach of the Lakeside Masters, Quarry Gators, and J. Graham Brown School swim teams and has represented Central ALTS on boards and committees and at meetings and conventions nationally.

Necolle Banks, Board Member

Necolle graduated from Central ALTS in November of 2019 as a former fearless adult nonswimmer and hasn’t turned back. Since then she’s become a certified ALTS instructor, become a certified Shallow Water Lifeguard, and now coaches for the Lakeside Quarry Gators and is head coach of the Grace James Academy swim team. She works as a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and as a swim coach and instructor at Lakeside Swim Club.

Debra Myers, Board Member

Debra graduated in the first Central ALTS class in April 2019 and serves as an ALTS instructor and Aqua Zumba instructor. Debra’s reputation as a Zumba and Aqua Zumba instructor precedes her as she has helped thousands of Louisville-area students stay active and healthy in her 20+ year career as an instructor. She currently works for UPS.

Allen Hill, Board Member

Allen Hill is an Aqua Zumba regular and an enthusiastic supporter of all Central ALTS programs. He is a retired UPS Certified Software Tester and is a common fixture at all of our programs whether he’s trying out a new piece of swim equipment during Open Swim, calling out steps in an Aqua Zumba class, or playing with his granddaughter, Arya, at Family Day, Allen is sure to greet everyone who walks onto our pool deck with a bright smile and warm welcome. Allen has been a photographer and line dance instructor in Louisville for over 30 years.

Michael Radmacher, Board Member

Michael has been an instructor with Central ALTS since its very first classes. Michael is a certified ALTS instructor who pledged to commit his retirement from the University of Louisville to teaching as many adults to swim as possible. Michael is almost always signed up to teach every session and can be seen at every weeknight and weekend Open Swim giving helpful and encouraging tips and advise to graduates from the deck. Michael is also a swim instructor at the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA.

Rose Powers, Board Member

Rose graduated from the Central ALTS program in 2019 and has been a constant participant in Open Swim and Aqua Zumba programs since then. In 2020, she became a certified ALTS instructor and can often be seen welcoming new swimmers to the water during weekday Open Swims. She is semi-retired and spends her time away from the pool serving her community through her church.