Kids on Boats
“Baby Zada Grey wears a life jacket to keep her safe when she’s on her parents’ boat. Lots of local kids who can’t swim spend time on boats around the islands. As Larry Berg, Lopez School coach says, “We have water all around us. Our kids are out on the water and...
Join the wave along with over 600 supporters!
Josh lives on Lopez and wants to learn to swim! Over 55% of our elementary students need life jackets when swimming and only 9% are water competent per Red Cross standards. Lopez kids WILL learn to swim when the pool becomes a reality. As local parent Carolyn McGown...
Mountain of Dirt!
Friends of Lopez Island Pool is postponing the Appreciation Celebration event that was planned for October. This is due to the reality that the site may not be safe because of its current condition and technical uses with the permits. But, how about that mountain of...
Summary of Town Hall Meetings
FLIP recently held two Town Hall Meetings which brought out over sixty people, all eager to learn about what’s happening with The Swim Center. We want everyone to have up-to-date information on the project so we invite you to enjoy this summary of the meetings! The...
See Pool Plans at Sept. 9th Town Hall Meeting!
If you did not attend our first Town Hall Meeting, your second chance is coming up! Town Hall Meeting #2 will be this Sunday, Sept. 9th at 4pm at the Lopez Community Center. Come get your burning questions quenched with up to date and exciting news, straight...
PUBLIC TOWN HALL MEETING ABOUT THE POOL! Come Find Out What is Happening!
THE POOL PROJECT IS SHOVEL READY! Would you like to see the design of the new swim center? Are the pools going to be saltwater? What about sustainability and maintenance? How is fundraising going? The Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) invite ALL residents and...
Building Permits in Process! [Correction]
The FLIP Board and a team of dedicated volunteers have been making things happen this summer! A BIG Thank You to all who stopped by our Farmers Market booth. Please hold one of these dates to attend an upcoming Town Hall Meeting for a complete update on the Pool:...
Spring Giving Campaign a Blooming Success!
Talk about May flowers! Our community has stepped up and shown its commitment to the Swim Center with a whopping $63,000 donated so far during our May Spring Giving, including GiveBIG and GiveLocal. Every donation has felt like a colorful blossom, bringing its own...
Donate towards 2018 Fall Construction Goal
Thank you for your past support! Your generosity can make the difference in reaching our Spring Giving goal of $35,000, matched by special Swim Center supporters! Whether you are a full-time or a part-time islander, join your community in supporting this important...
Early 2018 Contributions Spur Hope of Fall Construction
Summer is coming and San Juan County is still one of only two counties in WA without a public pool. But, things are happening! 2018 has been a stellar year for fundraising, with awards of $675,000 from WA State as well as an AMAZING and BIG-HEARTED $300,000 anonymous...
May Spring Giving Event
Friends of Lopez Island Pool kicks off its Spring Giving event with GiveBIG Seattle & GiveLocal! Your gift will help raise $1.5 million to begin construction of the swim center this fall! FLIP's Spring Giving combines two events. This is the last year for...
$500,000 in Final State Budget for SWIM CENTER!
The State final capital budget, passed on March 8th, includes HALF A MILLION DOLLARS for the SJC Community Swim Center on Lopez Island. We are forever thankful for the steadfast support provided by Senator Kevin Ranker and House Representatives Kristine Lytton and...
Year End Appeal Results In!
A HUGE thanks to all of our wonderful Supporters! We are thrilled to report that $93,000 was raised during FLIP’s 2017 year end annual appeal! Your commitment to bringing a public SWIM CENTER to San Juan County is making a real difference. FLIP is SO grateful to...
San Juan County – One of only Two Counties in WA without a Pool
On January 23rd, FLIP’s Finance Lead, Bill LeDrew, and Government Lead, Asha Lela, made a presentation to the San Juan County Council. They explained to Council members, Jamie Stevens, Bill Watson and Rick Hughes, the importance of the County having a stake in the...
FLIP READY TO MAKE A SPLASH
Did you know that only 2 counties in the whole State of Washington do not have a public pool, and that San Juan County is one of those? Did you know that 91% of our Lopez elementary students could not pass a Red Cross swim competency test putting them at a...
Read All About It! Critical Time for Swim Center
Happy Holidays to each of you! A BIG thank you to our wonderful supporters who have responded to our year end mailer with generous donations! Be sure to check out this week’s newspaper article in the Islands' Weekly which outlines many of the problems our community...
Year End Donations Coming In!
Have you received your FLIP Year in Review 2017? As you can tell it has been a busy year with lots of tangible progress. Thanks to your ongoing support FLIP has raised over $1.7 million!! We are continuing to work toward a swim center that will meet the community’s...
Swimming in San Juan County – The Problems & The Solutions
What are the issues? Our kids aren't learning how to swim. The Red Cross considers the national average for youth water competency at 39% to be a crisis, on Lopez our average is 9%. Solution: Access to affordable, local, year-round swim lessons and swim programming...
FLIP Partners with Family Resource Center to Provide Swim Lessons to Island Kids
Summer has come to an end and swim lesson results are in! This summer FLIP awarded a 'Water Safety Micro-Grant' to the Lopez Island Family Resource Center. With this partnership 27 children were able to receive scholarships for swim lessons at the Islander Resort...
Pool Lane Construction Underway!
Pool Lane is under construction! As a first critical step, the road is being widened to TWO lanes! This image was taken halfway up Pool Lane, looking toward Center Rd. The backhoe is parked close to the entrance of the future pool parking lot. That white propane...