Friends of the Pool receive grants for student swim lessons

DAYTON — The Friends of the Pool Committee in Columbia County, Washington, was awarded several grants for its program to provide basic swimming lessons for area youth, and advanced training for older kids wanting to be certified as lifeguards and swimming instructors.

Dayton and Columbia County have not had an operational public swimming pool since the end of 2017. Since then, many local kids have not had the opportunity to learn how to swim and are at risk of drowning.

The Innovia Foundation awarded the committee $13,000. The committee received $3,500 from the Warren Community Action Fund and $4,000 from the Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund which are managed through the Blue Mountain Community Foundation.

During the school year, the committee will fund bus transportation from the Dayton to the Walla Walla YMCA pool and swim lessons provided by the YMCA.

This summer, the Friends of the Pool Committee will make funding available for kids in The Club’s summer youth recreational programs to attend swim lessons at the Prescott public pool. The Walla Walla YMCA provides lifeguards and swim lessons in Prescott during the summer.

The Friends of the Pool Committee also offers to cover the cost of the out-of-the-area swim lessons and advanced training to kids whose families arrange their own transportation.

Under the leadership of Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, the Dayton School District, teachers, and kids responded enthusiastically to this opportunity. This year, first and second-grade students enjoyed swim lessons over two weeks in April. In the upcoming school year, the school district will increase the program for students in first through fifth grades.

Through this program, several older kids from Columbia County that have been certified as lifeguards. The Friends of the Pool Committee Chair Fred Crowe encourages eligible teens to take advantage of the lifeguard training.