Making a splash in the West End

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This article was published 15/10/2018 (2703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A free swimming lesson program at the Kinsmen Sherbrook Pool got a record number of applicants for its fall session. 

KidSwim is a weekly program run by Friends of Sherbrook Pool, a community group that was started in the ‘90s in an effort to save the public pool at 381 Sherbrook St. from closure. With the pool granted heritage status in 2001 and extensive renovations completed in 2017, the group has focused its energy on programming. 

“We have 100 (KidSwim) spots available and this year we had over 300 apply, which is crazy,” said Genevieve Dack, chair of the Friends of Sherbrook Pool board.

Dack chalks the interest up to good timing and getting the word out through West End community organizations.

“It was a good mix of things, we happened to open registration just when the City opened their registration for activities and swim lessons, so I think we caught parents in that fall planning mode,” she said, adding that while they were unable to accommodate all of the families this fall, they have added a winter session thanks to some additional funding.

KidSwim depends on private donations and runs in partnership with the City of Winnipeg, which staffs the lifeguards and provides swimming instructors for the program. Lessons run every Wednesday evening for swimmers in levels one to 10.

The main goal of the program, Dack says, is to break down financial barriers and provide access to swimming lessons for everyone in the community. 

“Swimming in Manitoba is a very vital and necessary skill,” she said. “It’s also a community-building event, kids come here with their friends, they see classmates, parents bond while their kids are in class.”

Freddy and Amanda Enns have two children in KidSwim and can attest to the social benefits of the program. 

“They always look forward to coming to this,” Freddy said. “They like interacting with the other kids.”

“A lot of the kids that come here are kids in their community so they get to meet other kids that they normally wouldn’t meet,” Amanda added. 

KidSwim has also helped alleviate a financial burden for the family. 

“We probably wouldn’t end up doing swimming lessons if it wasn’t for this program,” Amanda said. “It ends up just being way too expensive, especially if you have more than one.”

In addition to providing the lessons for free, the program gives out bathing suits and towels to kids that need them. Friends of Sherbrook Pool also launched a burkini project this year to help provide full-coverage bathing suits for some of the participants.

“We’ve heard from families who want to participate but haven’t been able to because the girls haven’t had the proper swimwear,” Dack said. “We made it our mission when we got funding to divert some of that to purchase burkinis to get these girls involved.”

Visit friendsofsherbrookpool.org for more information.