Brentwood teen turns vacation tragedy into teachable moment

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KGO) -- A tragic accident altered the mood of a Bay Area teen's vacation, but it inspired her to do something about it.

Hannah Richardson has traveled the world and has options in life, but when the 16-year-old ventured to Nicaragua's Corn Island for a vacation, her view of the world changed.

Hanna said, "I found out, while I was there, that a little girl had drowned there in the ocean."

Hannah also learned that few of the children, on the impoverished island, knew how to swim.

Hannah explained, "Because their parents didn't know how to swim, and so if the parents don't now to swim, they're not going to teach their kids. They're all scared of it."

So it was a no brainer when Hannah had to come up with a service project to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. The next year, she collected 120 swim suits, developed a program and went back to Corn Island to teach the children how to swim.

Hannah said, "I was expecting maybe 20 or 30, and when I got there and there were like 80 something kids there."

For seven days straight, Hannah, who's a certified lifeguard, gently taught, then tested each child. All of them passed and Hannah was showered with love and thanks.

Hannah said, "You know, I don't need to be paid in order to be satisfied. It was great to just to have these people to come up to me and say that. It just warms my heart a lot."

Hannah's mom Cathy Richardson said, "I've always tried to teach my children it's not about going to church and sitting there every Sunday. It's about living a good life, helping people, being kind to people."

Hannah's kindness has caught on. Other vacationers have decided to continue her swim lessons on Corn Island and Hannah will return in December to teach again.