The AmeriHealth Caritas Foundation, Care Crew, and Keystone First Come Together To Celebrate Horizons Thrive Day
Summer can be a time of fun and opportunity, but for many children and families it can also be a time of challenge. Horizons Greater Philadelphia helps ensure that summer remains a time of learning, connection, and growth through programs that provide academic support, nutritious meals, enrichment opportunities, and caring adults.
Six-week programs
Horizons Greater Philadelphia provides tuition-free, six-week summer programs across Southeastern Pennsylvania that include academics, enrichment, meals, and daily swimming in a safe environment. A $25,000 grant from the AmeriHealth Caritas Foundation supports Horizons’ broader youth-development and family-engagement work, including summer swimming instruction and water-safety education.
This summer, Horizons served 416 students in kindergarten through eighth grade at four sites: The Episcopal Academy, Greene Street Friends School, Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
Students return year after year, building lasting relationships with peers and trusted adults. They also strengthen reading and math skills, explore new interests, and develop confidence. The program’s long-term approach creates continuity and belonging while helping students stay on track academically and socially.
Swimming and water safety programs
Swimming and water safety are distinguishing features of the Horizons model. Every student receives instruction throughout the summer with the goal of achieving swimming proficiency by eighth grade. That opportunity is especially important given longstanding disparities in swimming access and water safety. Studies have shown that the rate of drowning deaths among Black children ages 5 – 14 are three times higher than for white children of the same age range. This is why swimming instruction is so important.[1]
“Learning to swim gives young people a skill that can help keep them safe while building confidence and opening the door to new experiences. Supporting Horizons’ swimming and water-safety work reflects the Foundation’s focus on youth development and our belief that young people thrive when they have opportunities to learn, explore, and discover their strengths.”
– Lauren Maloney
Executive Director of AmeriHealth Caritas Foundation
Thrive Day 2026
The AmeriHealth Caritas Foundation was proud to support Thrive Day 2026, the annual culmination of Horizons’ summer programming. Students from the four Horizons sites came together at the University of Pennsylvania for a regional swim meet, youth art exhibition, and community wellness fair.
Students cheered one another on during swim races, proudly shared their artwork, connected with families and community partners, and celebrated their accomplishments.
AmeriHealth Caritas’® Care Crew volunteers joined volunteers from Philadelphia Insurance Companies and Essential Utilities in supporting the event, which also included the National Arts Program and other community partners.
With another summer of learning and swimming complete, Horizons plans to continue Thrive Day as an annual tradition and, as the organization grows, broaden access to swimming instruction for more children across the region.
[1] Kathleen M. Felisca, MD et al., “Racial Disparities in Swimming Ability and Drowning Risk Factors,” Pediatrics Open Science, Vol. 2, No. 1, February 20, 2026, https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsopenscience/article/2/1/1/206521/Racial-Disparities-in-Swimming-Ability-and, accessed September 17, 2026.