On September 1, 2026 – exactly one year after LakeSafe Initiative began – Mudra and the LakeSafe team returned to Lake Sammamish State Park with something concrete: 50 new life jackets placed directly into public loaner stations at Tibbetts Beach, Sunset Beach, and the Boat Launch.

These are the first 50 from 100 life jackets secured through LakeSafe’s Community Life Jacket Drive. Every jacket covers infant, youth, and adult sizes, ensuring that no family is turned away from the water without access to safety equipment.

Washington State Parks Area Manager Shawn Tobin joined the deployment and shared why this access matters. Families often arrive focused on fun and may not always bring proper safety equipment. Having life jackets already at the park makes them incredibly convenient for families and visitors.

Kimberly Kapustein, Executive Director of Visit Issaquah, was also there – a sign of the growing community coalition behind this mission.

Seeing those life jackets hanging at the shoreline exactly one year after LakeSafe began was a full-circle moment. Behind every jacket are partners, donors, volunteers, and families who believed a young person’s idea was worth supporting. Every Lake. Every Life.

LakeSafe Initiative was proud to participate as both a speaker and community resource exhibitor at the 2026 Sammamish Disaster Preparedness Event, hosted by the Sammamish Community YMCA and City of Sammamish.

LakeSafe led an Open Water Readiness learning session focused on practical actions families can take before and during a water emergency. Through hands-on life jacket fitting demonstrations and community conversations, we reinforced three simple behaviors: Know It. Wear It. Watch It.

The event brought together first responders, emergency preparedness leaders, local organizations, and families to explore everything from disaster planning and severe weather to CPR, wildfire preparedness, and water safety. Approximately 100 community members attended, exceeding the prior year’s attendance according to the organizer.

For LakeSafe, participating helped reinforce an important message: open-water readiness belongs in the broader emergency preparedness conversation. Preparing for a day at the lake means understanding conditions, having the right safety equipment, actively supervising around water, and knowing how to respond without becoming a second victim.

We are grateful to the Sammamish Community YMCA, City of Sammamish, participating speakers and organizations, and everyone who joined us in making preparedness practical, accessible, and community-centered.

Know It. Wear It. Watch It. Every Lake. Every Life.

LakeSafe had a wonderful evening with the Rotary Club of Sammamish, sharing the initiative’s journey and ongoing work around drowning prevention, water safety education, and life jacket access as part of Rotary’s Youthful Visionaries program.

It was especially meaningful to return to a community that supported LakeSafe and continues to encourage young people to turn ideas into service. The questions from the room were thoughtful — including the most meaningful one: “How can we help?”

A heartfelt thank you to Mardie Rhodes and the entire Sammamish Rotary community for the warm welcome, encouragement, and continued belief in youth-led service.

Service Above Self. Every Lake. Every Life.

On September 16, 2026, LakeSafe was represented at Influence the Choice’s Action Forum for Youth at Blakely Hall in Issaquah Highlands — a meaningful community conversation bringing together youth, parents, educators, and local leaders around youth wellbeing and substance use prevention.

One connection especially important to LakeSafe is the intersection between substance use and water safety. Impairment around water can increase risk, which is why conversations about prevention and healthy decision-making play an important role in preventing drowning. LakeSafe resources were available at the ITC resource table, helping bring water safety and drowning prevention into the broader conversation about keeping young people safe.

A huge thank you to Erica Vogt and the entire Influence the Choice team for continuing to create spaces where youth aren’t simply invited into the conversation — their voices are genuinely heard.

It was also wonderful connecting with Councilmember Sarah Perry and seeing community leaders come together to listen directly to young people. Because keeping young people safe takes all of us, across issues, organizations, and communities.

Every Lake. Every Life.

On September 9, 2026, LakeSafe set up at the Sammamish Farmers Market to meet our community where they are and spread the word about open-water drowning prevention.

In just a few hours, we connected with 50+ families and individuals, sparked conversations about open-water risks most people don’t think about until it’s too late, and handed out water safety resources to parents, kids, and neighbors who live steps from Lake Sammamish.

That’s awareness. That’s impact. That’s why we show up.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by. Every Lake. Every Life.

On July 25, 2026, LakeSafe joined communities around the world in observing World Drowning Prevention Day, the UN’s annual global call to action on drowning prevention.

The 2026 campaign theme, “Your story can save a life,” encouraged individuals and organizations to share personal experiences and lessons learned. LakeSafe used the moment to elevate the stories of our community partners, families, and youth advocates, each one a reminder of why prevention work matters.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death worldwide, yet it is largely preventable. World Drowning Prevention Day is a powerful reminder that local action connects to a global mission. Every Lake. Every Life.

On July 15, 2026, the LakeSafe Initiative visited Gani Preschool of the Arts to share age-appropriate water safety lessons with some of our community’s youngest learners.

Through interactive activities, storytelling, movement, and hands-on demonstrations, preschoolers learned simple but important safety habits: always wear a properly fitted life jacket, stay close to a trusted grown-up near water, and find a trusted adult right away if someone needs help.

A special thank you to our outstanding youth volunteers, whose leadership, enthusiasm, and compassion made the session interactive and memorable. Empowering youth to teach youth is one of the most powerful ways to create lasting community impact.

If your preschool, school, daycare, camp, or community organization is interested in hosting a LakeSafe water safety education session, we’d love to connect. Every Lake. Every Life.

On July 8, 2026, LakeSafe joined over 25 local nonprofits at the Sammamish Farmers Market’s Nonprofit Day, an evening that brought together community organizations, neighbors, and families from across the area.

LakeSafe’s booth gave us the opportunity to share our open-water drowning prevention mission with people right in the heart of the Sammamish community, many of whom live near Lake Sammamish and spend their summers on or near the water.

Conversations covered water safety basics, life jacket access, and the importance of supervision and swimming skills for all ages. It was a meaningful reminder that prevention starts with community, and that showing up where families already gather is one of the most powerful things we can do.

Thank you to the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce for including us, and to everyone who stopped by our booth. Every lake. Every life.

On June 30, 2026, LakeSafe founder Mudra Machewad joined CADCA’s National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) as a featured panelist for a national webinar focused on youth-led prevention initiatives.

Mudra shared how LakeSafe grew from a local idea into a structured, multi-partner initiative, and how her work at the intersection of open-water drowning prevention and substance use safety reflects CADCA’s broader prevention framework.

The webinar reached prevention professionals, coalition leaders, and youth advocates from across the country. It was a powerful platform to elevate LakeSafe’s story nationally and demonstrate what community-rooted youth leadership looks like in practice.

LakeSafe is proud to be part of CADCA’s national network and NYLC’s mission to develop the next generation of prevention leaders. Every lake. Every life.

LakeSafe Confluence 2026 brought together 18+ partner organizations, community leaders, and families at Lake Sammamish State Park for an evening of expert conversations, hands-on prevention stations, and coordinated action commitments, right before peak summer season.

Fireside talks featured voices from public health, marine safety, and youth advocacy. Four safety expo stations gave attendees direct, hands-on engagement with life jacket access, open-water readiness, and rescue awareness.

Partners from across the region made public commitments to advance water safety through the summer, a meaningful collective action that set the tone for 2026.

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson united waterparks, aquatic facilities, and community organizations globally on June 25, just one week before the July 4th holiday, historically the deadliest stretch of summer for drowning. LakeSafe partner YMCA of Greater Seattle was among participating facilities bringing this important message to local families.

LakeSafe participated in National Safe Boating Week May 16-22, using the national moment to amplify life jacket use, boating safety awareness, and open-water readiness across our community channels and partner network.

Throughout May 2026, LakeSafe aligned its outreach and messaging with the national water safety awareness calendar, sharing resources with Sammamish-area schools, family organizations, and community partners ahead of peak summer season.

On May 15, LakeSafe joined the national Wear Your Life Jacket at Work Day movement, encouraging partners, supporters, and community members to put on a life jacket, snap a photo, and share the message. The day coincided with International Water Safety Day and LakeSafe Confluence 2026, making it a triple-impact moment for prevention.

International Water Safety Day fell on the same date as LakeSafe Confluence 2026, a meaningful alignment that gave our community event a global resonance. LakeSafe used the moment to amplify awareness across social channels and reinforce the message that drowning prevention is a shared, worldwide responsibility.

LakeSafe engaged with Safe Kids Worldwide’s annual water safety webinar, connecting with national partner plans and seasonal resources to inform our 2026 community outreach strategy ahead of the summer season.

LakeSafe joined the 2026 Connect for Good Non-Profit Expo hosted by the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, sharing the initiative’s prevention-first approach with the broader Eastside nonprofit community.

The expo brought together residents, organizations, and local leaders in a single space designed to connect, learn, and support local impact. Conversations at the LakeSafe table covered signage, life jacket access, and the substance use + water safety dimension, connecting prevention across youth programs, public health, and community education.

The Spring into Adventure festival at Lake Sammamish State Park brought families, outdoor enthusiasts, and community partners together for a day of safe recreation and prevention education.

LakeSafe used the event to demonstrate life jacket station access, multilingual signage, and open-water safety awareness in a live, hands-on environment. Partners from across the LakeSafe network were present, reinforcing the coordinated, community-wide approach that makes prevention work.

LakeSafe joined the Issaquah Kiwanis Business Meeting to share LakeSafe’s latest progress and strengthen community alignment around prevention.

The update emphasized LakeSafe’s core approach: make safety visible where families gather, reinforce simple behaviors that prevent emergencies, and coordinate partners so education and readiness show up consistently.

Service organizations like Issaquah Kiwanis play a critical role in this system, helping scale awareness into volunteer action, community engagement, and sustained support that keeps prevention moving forward.

The 2026 Annual Fund Drive Kick-Off brought community members, board leaders, and families together to celebrate the Sammamish YMCA’s role in building access, confidence, and belonging.

LakeSafe was featured in a live “Mission in Action” conversation focused on Safety Around Water. The discussion centered on a simple but urgent reality: proximity to water does not equal preparedness.

LakeSafe strengthens awareness, prevention, and open-water education. The YMCA builds foundational swim skills and removes financial barriers through scholarships. Together, awareness and access create safety.

On November 15, 2025, LakeSafe was featured as an awareness campaign during the inaugural TEDxSammamish Women event themed “WORTHY. Our Power Within: Tools, Truths, and Transformation.”

This event placed prevention in a space designed for community learning and transformation, reaching families, local leaders, and advocates through trusted stories, culture, and connection.

LakeSafe’s message aligned naturally with the TEDx theme: believing people are worthy means we also believe they deserve visible safety, clear education, and shared responsibility around our lakes.