Community Involvement

I am super excited because this Tuesday there is an open house for the New Community Center at SE 12th and Stark.

About two months ago I got a survey in the mail asking my opinion for what I'd want in a community center. The survey focused on the new swimming pool which was EXACTLY what I wanted to express my opinion about.

Growing up I spent every single day of the summer at our local swimming pool. We had two glorious diving boards, a one meter and a three meter, that I probably spent 95% of my time on at the pool. At age 8, I was the only girl that knew how to do a One and a Half Sumersault and I reveled in the attention.

My sophomore year in high school we got a swimming and diving team at my school. I jumped at the opportunity and spent most of my days getting up at 5AM to go to practice before school. Looking back, I definitely think it instilled a sense of discipline that has carried through in to my adult life.

Before moving to Portland, I did some research on the state of diving in Oregon. It's not good. Zero high schools have swimming or diving teams and only one of the colleges has a swim team (but no diving and it's only girls). During the heat-wave of this summer we went to the pool and saw kids lining up to jump off the side of the pool!! These kids are in desperate need of some diving boards!!

So when I got my survey in the mail I wrote all over it that I thought the children of Portland deserved some diving boards. I also wrote that I wanted to help in any way I can. Never-mind that I have a deep seeded wish to create an Olympic level diving facility (full of trampolines, harnesses and foam pits) one day. But we need to start somewhere.

If anyone's interested the next meeting is:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25th
BUCKMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
320 SE 16TH Ave.
7PM - 9PM