A small idea that was “all wet” from its very beginning is now about to be celebrated as a 25 year-old community institution when the Rotary Club of Sebastopol opens its 2009 year of Learn To Swim at Ives Pool next month.
Since its very first year in 1983, the Rotary Learn To Swim classes have taught water safety and basic swimming skills to more than 5,000 local 2nd grade students. The program has always been free of charge to the students and is staffed by Rotarians and other adult volunteers. The original purpose of the program was to promote water safety and reduce accidental drownings.
In 1983 Rotarian and former YMCA director Jeff Boal suggested a new “pilot” program for the local Rotary Club which had just completed a very successful “Suitcase Night” fundraiser. Club President Dave Madsen endorsed the project and $5,000 was awarded to the project. Boal elicited the help of fellow Rotarian Norm Stupfel, owner of Carlson’s Dept. Store and a world class master swimming champion. Santa Rosa YMCA director Pete Peterson joined the project along with a dozen of the local Rotarians who gave up their weekly lunch hours to get wet up to their waist in the Ives Pool cool mid-May waters.
From the earliest years of the Learn To Swim, Analy High School students also were matched with the young swimming students as mentors. Over the years 2nd grade students from Park Side, Apple Blossom, Harmony and other nearby elementary schools participated. In the mid-years a Celebration Night was held at the Brook Haven School gym with proud parents in attendance. Each year the students and volunteer teachers were given T-shirts and other Learn To Swim logo apparel. This year’s volunteers will earn a 25th anniversary commemorative visor, Jacobs promised.
Past Rotary chairs of the program have included Greg Gill, Neysa Hinton and Tom Lambert. This year Jacobs is joined by co-chair Emily Buller. Over the years many spouses of Rotarians also have volunteered. Jacobs also gives credit to the Ives Pool staff and the city crews that maintain the pool.
Over the many years, the Rotary Club has continued to find ways to raise donated funds to support the Learn To Swim program, which is just one of many programs the club supports in local schools. For almost as many years, the Rotary Club has sponsored a Read To Me program for 3rd grade students. The club also donates hundreds of dictionaries each year to local 3rd grade students.
The old “Suitcase Night” fundraiser, previously held every November at the Sebastopol Veteran’s Memorial Hall has evolved into a “Great Getaway” event and most recently has become a Lobster Feed and grand auction, held last year at the SRJC Shone Farm and Warren G. Dutton Ag Pavilion.
BEAUTIFICATION OF A VISIBLE SITE: Sebastopol Rotary Club
Mike Long, President of the Sebastopol Rotary Club for 2007-2008 accepted the award on behalf of the club members who volunteered for a strenuous work day to complete most of the landscaping work. The club funded a complete exterior repainting of the Sebastopol Post Office building as well as the removal and replanting of the post office landscaping. Special thanks goes to Mike for initiating the project, Greg Gill of Gill Landscaping for providing his expertise and many hours of planning, Dan Davis of Dan O. Davis for providing wood chips and the debris boxes, and J.T. Martin for the expert use of his venerable back hoe.