Local Pool Supporters Organize Benefit for Salem Kroc Center

The event is planned for the morning of April 14th, and will take place at all Courthouse Athletic Club facilities that include swimming pools.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Spurred by the recent plea for financial support that benefits the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center’s swimming pool, two members of the group supporting competitive aquatics have announced a fundraising event scheduled for mid-April.

The benefit, entitled “The Million Dollar $wim”, was the brainchild of a local teacher, Burt Kanner.

He and South Salem High School’s athletic director, Lara Tiffin, have joined together as co-chairs of the event.

Both are members of the Competitive Aquatic Community, or CAC, a group of parents and coaches who have focused upon the Kroc Center’s pool expansion to benefit the area’s youth teams.

The event is planned for the morning of April 14th, and will take place at all Courthouse Athletic Club facilities that include swimming pools.

The Courthouse clubs are donating the pool time to help the Million Dollar $wim add to the needed operating endowment funds necessary to fund the proposed pool’s expenses.

Burt Kanner, who is also a regular competitor in “Masters” swim events, is brimming with enthusiasm and has already called on dozens of local businesses for support.

“After reading about the need to raise additional funding to support the Kroc Center pool, I thought this would be a great way to get dozens of swimmers and water polo players involved in a fund-raiser that could prove very successful,” said Kanner. “This is a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the critical need for a decent pool,” he added.

Lara Tiffin swam competitively through her school years in Salem and is now a strong advocate for aquatic programs.

“I don’t think people realize that the Salem-Keizer School District is without a facility that meets minimum competitive specifications,” she said. “It is crucial that parents of swimmers and the rest of the community make every effort to raise the money necessary to support the pool’s operations.”

The Salvation Army and Salem-Keizer School District have had ongoing discussions about scheduling and operating assistance for the facility.

According to Glenn Gelbrich, Assistant Superintendent, “The Kroc Center pool could really help solve the community’s dire need for pool time for both swimming and water polo programs, which have become increasingly popular in the past 10 years.”

Kanner and Tiffin estimate that as many as 300 youth and adult swimmers may take part in the opportunity to make some waves for a brighter future of the Salem area’s aquatic programs.

They are encouraging local businesses and interested supporters to band together.

According to the Salvation Army’s Project Director, Randy Curtis, the local team must complete their fundraising efforts by April 17th.

Burt Kanner is bullish on the Million Dollar $wim, and plans to swim up to 200 lengths himself.

“I figure we might collectively swim 100,000 laps that morning. If we can get enough sponsors to support $10 per lap on average,” he said, “we’re there.”