The Independent Pool & Spa Service Association has created a program to assist its chapters in making an impact in their communities by helping fund swim lessons, starting this summer.
The IPSSA Swim Fund offers matching contributions of up to $500 for any IPSSA chapter wanting to help offer local swim lessons. If, say, a chapter donates $300 to a local pool, the fund will match it with $300, so the chapter can contribute a total of $600.
Bob Luedtke, owner of The Pool Works in Anaheim, Calif., has been a driving force behind the fund. An IPSSA member for more than 25 years, he currently serves as liaison between IPSSA and the National Swimming Pool Foundation.
Luedtke knew that some chapters already have been funding swim lessons. “I just thought, ‘We can do more than that,’” he said.
Hayward Pool Products, Zodiac Pool Systems and the NSPF were the first to make contributions generous enough to establish a base for the fund.
IPSSA’s education chair, Jason Lehmann, worked with Luedtke to get the swim fund off the ground. Lehmann’s Texas chapter has supported swim lessons for many years, working with the National Drowning Prevention Association, APSP and Safe Kids.
The fund has $35,000 available, according to Luedtke. Chapters wishing to obtain matching funds for swim lessons should call (888) 360-9505 for an application.