A Detroit area woman has been spreading the word about Great Lakes water safety in Southwest Michigan this week.
Lisa MacDonald knows all about rip currents in Lake Michigan because her 19-year-old daughter, Emily, and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Kory Ernster, drowned in the lake off South Haven two years ago.
“It’s been very, very difficult,” MAcDonald said. “I lost my husband a few years back too. And so my daughter Emily and my son Brian, they became the center of my world. Losing her was like losing half of myself. We were very close. She was going off to college. We had all these great plans for her. Her and Kory had been together for a long time.”
MacDonald has turned her grief into a mission since many Great Lakes beaches around the state do not have lifeguards.
“Working with other non-profits and community members in South Haven, we have been really trying to get them to understand the need for lifeguards. That’s been a long process. We have not succeeded in our goal yet.”
MacDonald founded Save Lives-Hire Lifeguards. She’s speaking to kids groups about water safety in South Haven this week and next week.
MacDonald and the family of Kory Ernster recently donated lifesaving remote-controlled floatation devices to Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph and the city beach in New Buffalo to give their lifeguards an extra tool to help save struggling swimmers.
