Family turns tragedy into education

It was early last June that we learned of the accidental drowning of 2 year old Joshua Collingsworth at a family party in Lincoln. Nine months later, Joshua’s parents are working to prevent future tragedies with the release of their child water safety book “Josh the Baby Otter.”
While Blake Collingsworth says parents are ultimately responsible for safety measures around water, the one message they want to get across is that kids can also help prevent these tragedies. The book and audio CD relates to young kids through songs and the character of “Josh”, a baby otter that learns to float and to only approach the water with a parent.
Blake Collingsworth and his wife Kathy are taking the book to schools and daycare all around Lincoln to teach children about being safe near water. A website and foundation in Joshua’s memory have also been started. For more information on the book, go to www.joshuamemorial.org.