We are thrilled to share that Lopezian Inez Black has pledged $100,000 toward our Lopez Community Swim Center !
For more than five years, Inez Black has been a consistent and interested supporter of Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP). Like many, she’s been concerned about the sustainability of the facility and its accessibility to all. This year, after learning that one donor had pledged $500,000 for a Maintenance Reserve Fund and another donor pledged $100,000 for the Swim Center’s Scholarship Fund, she felt motivated to become a leadership donor.
At a September FLIP “Poolside” presentation, Inez expressed her concerns that only 8% of Lopez children are water competent (American Red Cross 2017 assessment of 110 Lopez Elementary School students). She added that “unfortunately, proximity to the water does not necessarily mean one will know how to swim and feel safe in and around the water.”
Inez feels fortunate to have learned to swim at an early age, on the East coast, at her home on the Tred Avon River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her father taught her to swim before age five, in a small pool he built in the river; then she continued lessons in the family pool, and later at a camp on Lake Champlain. As she became comfortable and confident in the water, she also enjoyed fun times in the water with friends. These positive experiences led Inez to other sports, including sailing and canoeing.
Her late husband, David, grew up in the Northwest, on Bainbridge Island. He learned to swim in a community saltwater pool on the shores of Puget Sound. He enjoyed sailing in his family’s Senior Blanchard Knockabout and, as a young adult, led his own mobile camp for boys, “The Vagabonds,” which included several weeks sailing in the Salish Sea among the San Juan Islands and up to Desolation Sound.
Living on Lopez 50 years ago, there were few options for swim lessons. Inez recalled, “Two private pools: Camp Nor’Wester’s pool was available for just a few hours and at the Lopez Islander Resort, where Marian Speidel taught swimming.” Inez emphasized, “Now, 50 years later, we really need a community facility to provide a safe place for all to learn to swim and develop water safety skills.”
Inez shared, “Our early positive experiences in and around the water led to many years together enjoying the Salish Sea. I feel everyone deserves the same opportunity we had, so I decided to act.”
When Inez was asked why she decided to give at this time, she shared, “It feels like the project is on a strong footing after years of diligent research and thorough planning by a dedicated local board. I hope others will ‘jump in’ to help take this important project to its next step. What a great opportunity for cross-generational community to learn swimming and water safety together—a life-saving legacy!”
Thank you, Inez, for helping to bring us that much closer to making the Lopez Island Swim Center a reality!
Lopez Will Swim!
Philip Prud’homme, Executive Director, and the FLIP Board