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Before taking swim lessons from instructor Carrie Burt, 3-year-old Jasmine Jackson was afraid to let her face get wet. After one private lesson with Burt, Jasmine was putting her head under.

“She’s very good at getting little ones to do things they are scared to do in the water,” said Jasmine’s mother, Ruth Jackson. “She’s persistent and firm but caring and nurturing, and she makes the kids feel safe.”

When Jackson heard that Burt, who has served as a lifeguard, swim instructor and water fitness teacher for the past year at the Spears YMCA, was seriously hurt in an automobile accident, she and her daughter were devastated.

“We really miss her,” Jackson said.

Employees at the Y, along with many more students and parents whose lives she’s touched, are having a fundraiser for Burt and her family from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Spears Y. For $5, participants will receive a hot dog, chips and drink. Baked goods will also be for sale.

“In the short time Carrie has been here, she has made a major impact on countless children through her swim classes, teaching them not just how to swim, but more importantly, she has helped them to realize self-confidence, perseverance and a sense of accomplishment,” said aquatics director Rob Overman. “The same is true for her water exercise classes, where participants have been pushed to achieve better fitness, a sense of community and realization of personal goals.”

Burt, 26, is recovering from a traumatic head injury she received in a car accident Aug. 14. A Southern Guilford High School and UNC-Charlotte graduate, she spent two weeks in ICU and is now undergoing rehabilitation. Doctors removed her feeding tube Wednesday.

“She will have to learn to do everything again — walk, talk and eat,” said her mother, JoAnne Burt. Burt and Carrie’s father, Ron, are cautiously optimistic about their daughter’s future.

“She was in great shape before the accident,” said JoAnne Burt, who explained that Carrie participated in a triathlon earlier this year. “She’s a fighter.”

When Burt did not show up for work the morning of Aug. 15, Overman knew something was wrong.
“Carrie is very responsible and loves her job,” Overman said. “She would never miss a class.”

Overman called her cell phone. No answer. About five minutes later, he received a call from a woman who had found Burt’s cell phone in a ditch near the woman’s home. She had heard it ringing when Overman called.

The woman found Burt, thrown from her car, in the woods. Burt had spent six to eight hours after her accident undiscovered.

After calling Burt’s parents, who were out of town, Overman rushed to the hospital to check on Carrie’s condition.

“A day or two later, it really hit me when I had to tell her classes at the Y,” Overman said. “Watching their reaction really got to me, and I realized just how much she means to everyone.”

From the moment her students, who range in age from toddler to 85, heard about Burt’s accident, offers of help started pouring in. Burt did not have insurance and shared a car with her mother, with whom she lives. A Y member is loaning Burt’s mother a car.

“I was so touched that people were willing to give money, time, homes to stay in for her family, food ... ,” Overman said. “What’s most touching is: It hasn’t stopped; I probably spend half my day updating people about Carrie.”

Amy Moore, whose 4-year-old daughter MacKenzie took swim lessons from Burt, also feels a closeness to Burt and plans to attend the fundraiser.

“She encouraged her students to stretch and go out of their comfort zone,” Moore said. “My daughter looked at her like a hero.”

Once Burt is released from the hospital, her mother said she will need 24-hour care.

“(The doctors) tell us to be patient,” JoAnne Burt said.

Overman hopes the hotdog fundraiser is a huge success and said plans are under way for future fundraisers to help Burt and her family. Donations are also accepted at the Spears YMCA front desk.

“Carrie has touched so many lives at the YMCA, which is why we must now do the same for her,” Overman said. “We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy lunch at the Y and help Carrie to achieve that same sense of accomplishment that she bestowed upon so many.”

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer. brown@news-record.com