FRIENDS OF LOPEZ ISLAND POOL
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Mission Statement
The mission of Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) is to bring greater health, water safety and community to the people of San Juan County by building and operating a sustainable, low maintenance, year-round Swim Center that will serve the community for generations to come. FLIP’s vision is to have a safe, secure place for our children to learn to swim; for all ages to have an accessible pool for recreation, exercise and water therapy; and for San Juan County to have a safer, healthier and more connected community with an improved quality of life.
About This Cause
FLIP is actively engaged in construction of a year round swim facility that will operate as a 501c3 non-profit to serve the water safety needs of the community. Building permits have been received and construction is anticipated during 2024. As the only publicly accessible pool in the entire county archipelago, a swim center in the San Juan Islands will be much more than just a pool for recreation. It will solve some significant problems that are present due to the lack of services inherent in our isolated rural community. Uppermost among these are a critical deficit of basic swimming and water safety skills that places our island youth in the bottom 8% of the nation in water safety; a lack of places for seniors to be social and exercise when the weather is inclement; a lack of safe gathering places for children, teens and families throughout the year; nowhere for the injured and those with chronic pain to efficiently rehabilitate and exercise in comfort; and nowhere for emergency services personnel to perform bi-annual water rescue training. Our goals are to remedy these identified problems by building and operating a year-round swim center to serve the entire county and its visitors. FLIP was formed as a 501c3 tax exempt organization in 2009 in recognition of the tremendous cross-generational health and safety benefits of an accessible community pool. With an all-volunteer Board, a volunteer committee of professional advisors, and an Executive Director well experienced in regional fundraising, Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) is the only organization of its kind devoted to increasing water safety in San Juan County. Its mission is unique and singularly focused. Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) was formed with one purpose: to fund, construct and operate the Lopez Island Swim Center and provide accessible, cross-generational swimming opportunities that will increase the health and safety of Island residents and visitors. San Juan County is one of only two counties in Washington State without a community pool. Once built, the Lopez Swim Center will be the first and only community pool on Lopez Island and the only publicly accessible, year-round community pool in San Juan County. In planning this swim center, particular attention has been paid to the need for water conservation, efficient technology and environmental concerns on this isolated island. There is a pressing need in San Juan County for water safety instruction, opportunities for indoor recreation, locations for water therapy, and spaces for water rescue training. For San Juan County communities surrounded by the rough and cold waters of the Salish Sea, there is a startling lack of access to opportunities for learning basic water safety. Over the last 12 years, FLIP built a tremendous amount of community support and garnered an impressive and diverse portfolio of resources devoted to the Lopez Island Swim Center Capital Campaign. Their campaign success demonstrates that the community, as well as local, county, and state officials, see the urgent need for improved access to water safety training within San Juan County. Filling an identified need in the community, FLIP is working tirelessly to raise the capital to build and operate the Swim Center. Their effort has paid off; they have reached 90% of their goal of $8.2M. In 2024 residents of San Juan County will have greater access to water safety training, opportunities for year-round recreation, and a more connected and resilient community. A feasibility study interviewee and donor stated it well: “There are few moments when we can make an investment with potential to transform a community. This pool is one of those rare moments. [The pool is] an asset that we’ll look back upon 20, 30, 50 years from now and realize the profound impact on generations.”