(Posted July 1, 2015)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Donations are making a big splash at the London municipal swimming pool, allowing more children and families to enjoy the facility and providing needed tools and supplies.
One of those donations came in the form of a grant from the George and Diane Byers Fund of the Columbus Foundation. George and Diane are residents of London.
The grant covered 20 season passes for local families who could not otherwise afford memberships. The Madison County Department of Job and Family Services made referrals for selection of recipients.
The grant also covered the cost of 35 five-packs of single-day passes for the London Police Department and other organizations to hand out to children for good behavior and the like.
“This is a great example of a local family who had fond memories of using the pool, giving back,” said Madison County Commissioner Paul Gross. “It definitely demonstrates the level of support out there.”
The London Rib & Jazz Fest committee made a similar kind of donation, giving the pool $1,000 for season passes to be given to area families. The committee raised the money with a dunk tank at last year’s festival. The Rib & Jazz Fest is organized by the Downtown London Association and the London Community Organization.
On the supplies side, the Vineyard Church of London purchased $1,000 worth of needed equipment for the pool, including a ladder, powerwasher, leaf blower and other items. The church also runs the summer lunch feeding program at the pool.
“We’ve even had someone who lives across from the pool give us 500 ice pops to give out when the temperature hits 90 degrees. He did it just because he likes what we’re doing here for the community,” said Linda Granger, pool manager.
“All of these donations from private individuals, churches and businesses show the continued support for the London pool and its necessity in the community.”
