Submitted by Friends of Lopez Island Pool

If you’re committed to creating a safer, healthier, more connected San Juan County, please GiveBIG to build a nonprofit community Swim Center on Lopez, slated to begin construction this summer if funding goals are met. Friends of Lopez Island Pool has raised $5.33 million to date. It is clear our local community wants this: 73% of private funding has come from local addresses. And our community needs this: only 8% of elementary-aged island kids could pass the American Red Cross’s basic swim test, leaving 92% at risk. We are surrounded by the rough, cold waters of the Salish Sea; it’s imperative that our youth grow up learning how to be safe in and near the water.

Eight other local organizations have partnered with FLIP to ensure community needs are met. The year-round, all-ages Swim Center will be financially and environmentally sustainable with solar collectors pre-heating two pools: one 75-foot, four-lane lap pool, and a 92°F large therapy pool for swimming lessons and physical therapy. A variety of classes, from paddleboard yoga to water-rescue training, are planned. May 4 and 5 officially mark GiveBIG, Washington state’s 48-hour online community giving event. But early giving has begun and will continue through May 5. Support the Swim Center at www.givebigwa.org/FLIP. For more info, visit www.lopezislandpool.org or email info@lopezislandpool.org.