The parents of a San Antonio child who drowned at a local swim school in 2018, shared their message about his life and the foundation they’ve created in his name with a national audience as they appeared on GMA3 on Monday.
“Mitchell was warmth and happiness and fun. He was encompassing,” April Chang told GMA3.
Mitchell drowned in 2018 at a “Date Night” event hosted by the Love to Swim School in Stone Oak — a place where Mitchell and his brother had taken swim lessons for about nine months.
“I don’t want Mitchell remembered as the boy who drowned at his swim school because his story didn’t end there,” April Chang said.
Mitchell’s parents, April and Marvin Chang said they knew right away they wanted to “continue his good.”
“So we decided to create the Mitchell Chang Foundation in his honor to bring love and happiness in our city,” April Chang said.
The foundation is currently building “Mitchell’s Landing,” the first all-inclusive public playground for the city of San Antonio’s park system. It’s being built in the Classen-Steubing Ranch Park off Hardy Oak in Stone Oak.
They’re also working to educate parents about swim schools and hope to have laws changed through the Texas legislature.
“We had worked on a bill to set standards for Texas swim schools. They are an unregulated industry and there is no oversight,” Marvin Chang told GMA3.
Mitchell’s Landing is expected to be finished in the spring of 2022. The sign at the entrance to the park is in Mitchell’s handwriting.
“It’s named after him but we know in a year or two people will stop thinking about Mitchell and just having fun and honestly that’s the best legacy we could leave him,” April Chang said.
The couple welcomed their third child on Saturday, another little boy.
You can watch the Chang’s story on GMA3 in the video player at the top of this story.