Submitted by FLIP.

It’s really happening, folks: Groundbreaking for the Lopez Swim Center is planned for this summer! Once Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) reaches 80% of the campaign goal, funds toward construction are unlocked! We’ve got just $160,000 to go!

Longtime Swim Center supporters Christine Kerlin and Timothy Madison are jumping in once again to issue a challenge: Now through May 5, they will double donations to FLIP (up to $20K).

FLIP spoke with Christine recently about her motivation and continued support for the Swim Center.

What was your impetus for supporting the pool? When did you jump aboard?

Tim and I moved to Lopez in 2013. Though wonderful in almost every way, I began to miss the pool options I had on the mainland. When I heard about FLIP, I began supporting the effort right away. We need a year-round pool, and to have it here on Lopez.

What are you most looking forward to doing at the pool once it opens?

I am looking forward to how good I feel when I get out of the pool after doing some laps and some aqua-yoga exercises: I feel flexible, happy, and ready for anything.

I did not learn to swim as a kid, which is my regret. I learned the pleasure and value of pool exercise in my forties, when visiting my parents back East. My mom used the local YMCA to swim three days a week and I would go with her. Thanks to her enthusiasm, I began to find the pleasure and value of pool exercise.

Let’s get this show on the road, and get the next ‘inch’ of funding together so we can start digging! We are almost there. Our kids, our families who can enjoy recreation together, and our folks who look for the warm pool to help their healing, deserve action, not delay! Every dollar counts toward a shovel in the ground. Once we have our pool, I am sure we will wonder how our community ever got along without it.