We share the following pages as our Annual Report for 2023 and as a culmination to our first four-year, Golden Opportunity Campaign. The years 2020-2023 were full of notable accomplishments, challenging times and growth. When we launched the $2.3M Golden Opportunity Campaign in the fall of 2019, we had big goals to develop workforce vocational programming that would fuel the local aquatics industry with lifeguards and swim instructors. Our organization was growing rapidly and building momentum. We were going to increase the regional Learn-toSwim program by 50% and secure its endorsement from Henrico County.
The COVID-19 pandemic charted a different path. We shut our doors, furloughed the staff, and provided no programming for three months. During that time, we developed tools and protocols to re-emerge in aquatics. Our re-opening guide was a model for many others. We pioneered new teaching methodologies and gave the industry confidence on how to safely engage in aquatics. We taught lessons, trained lifeguards, hosted competitions - all consistent with the rules and regulations for COVID prevention and safety. Our innovations earned us the national spotlight as we brought to Richmond every major competition on the eastern seaboard during that time.
As our business rebuilt and inspired so many others, we were especially grateful to our supporters, sponsors, and clients and for our role of serving our community with life-changing aquatics experiences and opportunities. Among our five core behaviors at SwimRVA, saying Thank You became the most cherished for me and our team.
Making a difference using aquatics as our vehicle for change is our constant motivational driver.
While 2021 and 2022 were marked by rebuilding our programs and impact. In the background, we also put into motion a sustainable growth model with the development of two new SwimRVA facilities. Our efforts (1) in Northside, at a former recreational facility — now SwimRVA-North — provided for service delivery starting in 2021 and (2) at SwimRVA-Meadowbrook in Chesterfield County resulted in a year-round aquatics center in 2023. We also stewarded breakthroughs in public investment in aquatics with the creation and opening of the Frank J. Thornton Aquatics Center in Eastern Henrico, a development that also launched Learn-to-Swim efforts throughout the county and completed a 12 jurisdiction engagement with Learn-to-Swim in Central Virginia. In 2023, SwimRVA’s impact surpassed all pre-pandemic levels. Our facility and neighborhood based aquatics expansion, taught us the critical lesson to build trust by listening first to the needs of our community.
The exclusionary practices that defined aquatic engagement for decades, has resulted in long-standing emotional barriers to aquatics participation. In 2023, we developed the SwimRVA Continuum concept which is built on creating opportunity for a lifetime through aquatics.
The SwimRVA Continuum links our workforce training tools with our Learn-to-Swim services to support the growth of the industry through service jobs and, at the same time, provide employment pathways for the most vulnerable
WE ELEVATE AQUATICS IN THE RICHMOND REGION, MAKING WATER SAFETY AND AQUATIC FITNESS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.
in our region. The initiative that we launched in Church Hill — the East End Continuum — serves as a pilot for what will become our engagement strategy across six jurisdictions in the region. The SwimRVA Continuum is a centerpiece of our 2027 Smart Growth Strategic plan adopted at the conclusion of 2023. It is guiding our journey of inclusive service for the next four years and completes the promise of the 2020-2023 Golden Opportunity Campaign.
Although the last four years were tumultuous, they reset the stage for the meteoric growth of SwimRVA. In our second decade of operations, we are 5x the size of the original vision for the organization, serving six jurisdictions and inspiring water safety, aquatic fitness, and facility excellence nationally from our home in RVA.
This impact was made possible by YOU — our steadfast supporters. As demonstrated by the newly established Courtney Moates Paulk Legacy Circle, you inspire us and enable us to build our programs and outreach to realize the full potential of our mission. YOU made the stories in the following pages possible and YOU will continue to rewrite the complicated history of aquatics in our community to one of inclusion, possibility, confidence, employment, and joy. Where we go next is going to be incredible.
Flywheels deliver a constant, continuous power from a pulsating source. YOU are at the heart of that source. SwimRVA’s successes in the pages that follow are because the community came together in countless ways to drive opportunity and aquatic access.
The flywheel celebrates that it is not a single intervention or initiative that drives change but rather a cumulative and continual effect that, once rolling, has tremendous impact.
In 2019, SwimRVA operated out of one location in Chesterfield county. Now, in 2024, we have four locations across the region and two partner locations to serve six regional jurisdictions — all are beginning to spin the flywheel, magnifying the scale and scope of our work.
The potential and possibility is beyond tremendous with each revolution of the flywheel as the impact grows from neighborhood, to county, to region and beyond.
FLYWHEEL FRAMEWORK
In the fall of 2019 SwimRVA launched the Golden Opportunity Campaign identifying four key goals that define and drive our organization and our impact: (1) Save Lives
Empower Tomorrow’s Workforce (3) Inspire Healthy Communities (4) Transform the Region. This report celebrates the incredible success that truly exemplifies our mission, TO CHANGE LIVES THROUGH AQUATICS.
FOUR SWIMRVA LOCATIONS
SWIMRVA - CSAC (Chesterfield)
SWIMRVA- NORTH (Henrico)
SWIMRVA- MEADOWBROOK (Chesterfield)
SWIMRVA- CHURCH HILL (Richmond)
PARTNER LOCATIONS
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY (Petersburg)
HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CENTER (Hopewell)
WITH YOUR SUPPORT WE GIVE THE EMPOWERING, AND LITERALLY LIFE-SAVING, GIFT OF SWIM LESSONS TO THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN EACH YEAR.
Drowning prevention isn’t just a safety issue; it’s an issue of equity. The social history of swimming in America is a story of access resulting in youth of color and youth from assetlimited households not knowing how to swim and tragically drowning at rates three times greater than the rest of the population.
By teaching a life-saving skill, we can reduce the number of drownings while promoting healthy lifestyles. Moreover, as the youth discover how they can overcome challenges they build self-esteem, perseverance, and
4,153 IN 2023 ALONE, SERVED (64% COST-FREE)
community camaraderie that makes them stronger believers in their own abilities, both in the pool and in their everyday lives.
As the region’s leader in aquatics, SwimRVA is making aquatics accessible, addressing inequities, and facilitating engagement in physical activity and water safety. We are committed to handing down to the next generation a future of opportunity through aquatics.
It starts with learning to swim.
SCAN TO WATCH SWIM SCHOOL IN ACTION
LEARNTO -SWIM
SwimRVA’s Learn-to-Swim program is a monumental effort to make the community safer and healthier by providing cost-free swim lessons to under-resourced public schools targeting youth who otherwise might not have the opportunity to Learn-to-Swim.
We are part of a regional collaboration that aims to serve 152 schools across 12 jurisdictions.
Cost-free swim lessons in partnership with public schools Second-graders participated
SwimRVA works with partner pools to deliver programming together (Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, Virginia State University and Hopewell Recreation and Parks) and, together with our flagship facility, provide seven cost-free weekly lessons, designed to enable every child to swim 15 feet unassisted. Over the last decade, we have served over 15,000 children through this program which has grown to serve Chesterfield County, Colonial Heights, Hopewell City and in 2022, Prince George County. In 2024, we again expanded to reach all five elementary schools in Richmond’s East End, adding the City of Richmond to SwimRVA’s robust effort to drownproof the entire region.
We see incredible progress in these seven weeks. The best part is the excitement these students have when they pass a station. They are learning positive success habits in every lesson.
– DR. DEBBIE KELO, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS FOR SWIMRVA
SwimRVA made our students more confident in themselves and showed them they could do anything as long as they worked hard. The looks on their faces when they were able to ring the bell was so exciting. The kids still talk about SwimRVA, even months after completing the program.
– KATIE LAWSON, PATRICK COPELAND ELEMENTARY, HOPEWELL
Cost-free, yearround swimming in partnership with Church Hill community organizations
EAST END SWIMS IN
Since 2019, SwimRVA has collaborated with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, Anna Julia Cooper School, Peter Paul Development Center, and Church Hill Academy to provide cost-free, year-round swimming in Richmond’s East End, building safety and health equity in this important, emerging neighborhood.
FROM BIG DREAM TO SWIM TEAM
Less than two years after opening the renovated pool at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and amid a global pandemic, a big dream came to fruition: the East End neighborhood’s first swim team. Thirteen students at Anna Julia Cooper School — a full-tuition scholarship school for students of limited resources — joined the team. All 13 had learned to swim with SwimRVA at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club.
2023:
MASON, THE FISH
At only six years of age, Mason started swim lessons through SwimRVA’s program in collaboration with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. At first, he was terrified. He wasn’t tall enough to stand in the shallow end of the pool. His swim instructors patiently worked with him, and much to his surprise, he discovered that he loves being underwater. Mason worked tirelessly to advance his skills and says that he wants to join the swim team when he graduates from swim lessons.
AUTISM SWIMS
One-on-one autism-specific engagement
Children with autism are naturally drawn to water, making swimming an appealing activity, but also a real risk. 90% of wandering-related deaths in the autism community are caused by drowning.
SwimRVA’s carefully-designed program, led by instructors trained in Autism Spectrum Disorder, creates confidence-building experiences that turn a dangerous relationship with water into a positive, therapeutic one that lasts a lifetime. Swimming further offers numerous advantages for children with ASD because water has a calming effect and does not create the sensory overload issues some children experience in other settings. In addition to the health benefits swimming provides for everyone, it presents children with ASD the ability to improve balance and motor movement, decrease interrupted stereotypic behaviors, improve social competence, and enjoy the emotional nourishment of acceptance.
At the end of every lesson, it is a goal achieved. Coaches like Jacob and this environment are so important... I don’t have words.
– WAYNE, NICKY’S FATHER
youth have been served in autism swims since the program started, 100 more remain on the wait list for this valuable opportunity 92
NICKY’S STORY –THRIVING IN THE WATER
Water has a surprisingly strong pull on kids with autism. For families, this can bring fear whenever there’s a pool, creek, or beach around. That was what first brought Wayne and his son, Nicky, to the SwimRVA Autism Swims program, but it very quickly grew into something much more.
Wayne shared: “Coach Jacob has connected with Nicky just in the way that Nicky understands - whether verbally or nonverbally ... Nicky will do anything for him and he enjoys every minute of it... Swimming is a big part of his routine now; he’s socializing better, he’s interacting with people and situations he’s never seen before. I don’t know a child with autism that isn’t drawn to water.... It’s vital they learn to swim to some degree to keep themselves safe.”
SwimRVA offers swim lessons for all ages and levels. At SwimRVA, we use seven stations to guide our swim students through a proven curriculum. Once a student masters a station, they get to ring the SwimRVA Bell of Success, receiving a joyous response from our instructors, the other participants and observing parents.
Making programs accessible
SwimRVA is building social bridges through aquatics that cross physical, racial, and economic barriers. Making aquatics accessible is central to why we are here. One of the ways we do this is by offering significant financial aid to families with gross annual incomes below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. Depending on qualifying income level, SwimRVA covers between 60-80% of program fees to ensure all of our programs are financially accessible.
FROM LEARNING TO SWIM TO BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL RESCUER, WE ARE CREATING OPPORTUNITY AND A SKILLED WORKFORCE.
Nationwide we are facing a dangerous shortage of lifeguards, resulting in a cutback of pool hours, “Swim At Your Own Risk” signs or closings of beaches and pools Lifeguards are critical to public safety with 75% of drownings occurring at swimming locations where no lifeguard is present. Without life safety, we will not be able to keep our community healthy, active, safe and connected through aquatics. Both aquatics accessibility and expansion of programming is threatened if the shortage is not
IN 2023 ALONE, SERVED (20% COST-FREE)
addressed. Another pressing issue is that young people need pathways to work. We put the two problems together into one powerful solution that starts with learning to swim and leads to becoming a certified professional rescuer. We overcome obstacles that otherwise prevent young people from becoming lifeguards and pools from being protected with trainings that offer a viable gateway to diverse careers in the recreation industry and beyond.
Training the next generation of life savers
SAFETY SCHOOL LIFEGUARD SCHOOL
For a community to empower itself through aquatics, it first has to feel safe in the water. And safety starts with lifeguards. At SwimRVA, we teach future lifeguards to create and maintain safe environments for swimmers of all ability levels, creating more opportunity and access for everyone. SwimRVA has also created an academy for training instructors; we serve as the Central Virginia hub for professional rescuer and instructor training. We offer certification courses throughout the year.
School-based workforce development for underserved youth
Our pioneering workforce program, launched in 2019, is designed to take high school students— especially youth of color— from little swim ability to certified lifeguards, preparing youth to enter the workforce with skills leading to livable wages.
Our Lifeguard School has grown to partner with Church Hill Academy and Hopewell Recreation and Parks as well as Chesterfield and Henrico Counties serving students at Carver, Hermitage and Bird High Schools. We are planning for expansion across Richmond City Public Schools.
Together we fuel a continuous circle of opportunities by teaching young people to swim, training future lifeguards, and employing them in their neighborhoods to build health equity for the young people that follow.
FROM FIRST SWIM TO PROFESSIONAL RESCUER
When Raymond began SwimRVA’s Lifeguard School, he didn’t know how to swim. Though he was nervous about his lack of experience, he was “eager to learn” and worked hard. He participated in the program during his senior year at Carver College and Career Academy. He graduated and began his career with SwimRVA in the spring of 2018.
I am grateful for the opportunities. It has been a wild experience, doing things I never thought possible, like being a life safety officer for the DownRiver Rip event on the James River.
–
RAYMOND VALDEZ
FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER
Mason grew up swimming in the James River, but was rarely around pools that were lifeguarded, and never considered becoming a lifeguard as a job opportunity. When Mason started in the Carver College and Career Academy Lifeguard School program as a high school sophomore in the Spring of 2019, he experienced a lot of self-doubt. With the encouragement of his teachers and classmates, Mason honed his skills and built his confidence and months later Mason started working parttime at SwimRVA as a professional rescuer. He worked mostly evening and weekend hours, since he was still in school. SwimRVA’s management encouraged Mason to take a Lifeguard Instructor course, so that he could learn how to teach others to become lifeguards and ultimately even teach in the program at Carver Lifeguard School where he received his Lifeguard Certification. Mason now serves as a full time Life Safety Coordinator at SwimRVA.
A lot of people at SwimRVA helped Mason get to where he is today. It was never just about teaching him to swim or to become a lifeguard; it has been about supporting Mason as he fully recognized the possibilities and achieved his goals.
This job has taught me that if I set my mind to something, I can work for it and achieve my goals.
– MASON GALLEGOS LIFE SAFETY COORDINATOR
CARSHA CREATES NEW WAVES
As a student at Franklin Military Academy, Carsha was thrilled to discover that there was a pool at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and looked forward to her weekly lessons. Before becoming a swimmer, she didn’t get much exercise but now she reaps the benefits and feels refreshed after swimming. Only two years after learning to swim, she became a certified lifeguard. Unlike anyone else in her family. Carsha has always been drawn to water and interested in teaching and saving lives. She’s been working as a lifeguard at a City of Richmond pool and looks forward to studying Business Management in college.
BUILDING SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE
Beginning in 2019, SwimRVA’s Lifeguard School joined forces with the Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center, to give students in Henrico County the opportunity to gain training in their aspired career fields. ACE Sports Medicine teacher Bobbi Southard noted “there are a bunch of kids in Henrico County that have never had the opportunity to Learn-to-Swim.” We are changing that. Even more, by giving ACE students the chance to learn lifeguarding skills we enhance their abilities in multiple professions within sports medicine, the recreation industry and more. As the demand for lifeguards continues to grow, it is crucial that, as a community, we work together to expand aquatics as a field in workforce development. Thanks to the ACE Center at Hermitage and SwimRVA, Richmond’s barriers to aquatics are shrinking every day.
SWIMRVA CHANGES LIVES THROUGH AQUATICS. WE DO THAT WITH PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO EMPOWER EVERY KIND OF SWIMMER, NOW AND FOR LIFE.
Through aquatics, we are not only teaching life-saving skills, we are also boosting selfesteem and setting the stage for lifelong fitness habits. Physical activity has tremendous benefits that improve overall health, including mental wellbeing, and reduce the risk of, or even prevent, chronic disease. Yet less than one-quarter of youth participate in the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity and childhood obesity is one of the country’s most significant health problems.
Swimming provides an antidote. Swimming is equally appealing across generations. We help seniors maximize their movement, while minimizing the risk of injury. We help runners increase their stamina while decreasing the impact on their joints. We help people bounce back from injury and support their rehab from other medical conditions. And we build cardio capacity, muscle tone, flexibility and the selfconfidence that comes from pushing one’s ability in our supportive atmosphere.
SCAN TO WATCH SWIMRVA IN ACTION
WELLNESS
Enabling exercise and reducing loneliness
SwimRVA strives to prevent chronic disease and disability by promoting fitness within our active Richmond community We understand the critical importance of community and human connection.
The resistance properties of the water offer a unique ability to control effort and stress on the body and minimize the danger of a fall, making it particularly welcoming for seniors. Through aquatics, we break down isolation and build up opportunities for health and healing through aquatic therapy, group exercise and social programming.
I guess you could say I started off swimming for my husband. But now I swim for him, my health, and all the joy we get from the fabulous people we get to interact with each time we jump in the pool at SwimRVA!
– LAUREN SWEDENBORG, A SWIMRVA COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO ENJOYS AQUATICS CLASSES WITH HER HUSBAND, JAY, WHO HAS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND HAS SEEN GREAT HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS FROM AQUATIC EXERCISE
This place is truly my second home. It has helped me so much with my health in general. I was pain-free!
– SHERI GUILL A SWIMRVA COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO ORIGINALLY CAME TO SWIMRVA SEEKING TO RELIEVE PAIN IN HER KNEES FROM ARTHRITIS AND CONTINUES TO REAP THE HEALTH AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS LONG AFTER HER DOUBLE KNEE REPLACEMENT
CAMPS SUPPORT
Building health during out-of-school time
SwimRVA’s unique camps offer countless memories, a great workout, and a healthy dose of self-confidence. During school breaks and summer time, SwimRVA features multiple sessions and locations of general and specialized camps offering land and aquatic activities that emphasize team building, aquatic safety and goal setting led by our talented team of over 200 aquatics professionals.
By making aquatics accessible through moderate income-based fees, we offer opportunities for every person to exercise where they live, work and play. SwimRVA provided vital financial aid to those who needed it most.
– AMY LOCKERMAN SWIM CAMP COORDINATOR
RAPIDS
is the umbrella for SwimRVA’s competitive programs which include swim teams, polo, and artistic swimming
IN 2023:
Participants in SwimRVA Rapids competitive sports: Swimming, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming 965
TEAM SWIM
From novice to senior, seven classes of rapids that power the river city
AQUATICS, A FAMILY AFFAIR
Beginning with just 30 athletes in its inaugural year, SwimRVA Rapids Swim Teams now sport more than 500 athletes in multiple age groups from all over the Richmond region. By providing a fun environment to swim for sport, we not only improve swimming technique, we also foster transformative relationships with peers and coaches. The Rapids teams teach endurance, persistence, and work ethic while also nurturing the positivity and social skills that make better swimmers, teammates, and people. The growth extends far beyond the multitude of swim meets where they shine.
SwimRVA’s Swim School first teaches new swimmers the skills needed to keep themselves safe in the water. Once they complete the seven stations and graduate from swim school, many have discovered a love and enjoyment for swimming and begin to explore the other opportunities SwimRVA offers.
The Young family of eight has grown together throughout all different aquatics channels with SwimRVA. All six children have
had incredible experiences with SwimRVA. Trey Young is a staple on the Rapids Swim Team, proud to have won Age Groups in 50 and 100 breast stroke. Ari has a distinct memory of trying out water polo for the first time during one of her practices. Ayla’s favorite times were the cross-over clinics and the Saturday ‘fun practices.’ Seeing a family grow together under one roof shows how learning to swim opens up powerful opportunities both for leisure and athletics.
WATER
SWIMMING ARTISTIC POLO
Making history with many firsts
The SwimRVA Rapids Water Polo program is Richmond’s first USA Water Polo club in the region and is just the second in the state of Virginia. This unique aquatic sport challenges young people physically, emotionally, and socially. It is a mixture of swimming, soccer, wrestling, and basketball. As a whole, water polo can only be successful as a team. This sportsmanship-focused atmosphere has helped teach young athletes discipline, respect, and healthy competition. The team emphasizes toughness, health, hard work, positivity, and social skills while preparing players for the NCAA and beyond. Since 2020, the Water Polo team has had several athletes excel beyond the walls of the aquatics center.
James McRae has proven the meaning of community through aquatics, earning the Lynhaven School Athlete of the Year, Trailblazer Award, and Impact award for his commitment and passion. James also won the 2023 Justin Dingham Scholarship award. He is currently a Lifeguard with SwimRVA and a member of the USA Water Polo National Junior Team.
Petar Stjepanovich, another SwimRVA standout, was SwimRVA’s first water polo collegiate athlete when he committed to the University of the Pacific, a Division 1 top 25 college water polo program in 2023.
“Petar is one of those who not only have that intrinsic motivation to be the best, but also has amazing character traits that most coaches can’t teach. He does things simply because it is the right thing to do. He is great with the younger kids and loves to motivate the next generation.”
-Jacob Henry, Head Coach
Jacob Henry, SwimRVA Water Polo’s Head Coach won the 2021 USA Water Polo Brenda Villa Award (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion). He helped the team showcase their first Junior Olympics appearance that same year.
Awe-inspiring artistry and athleticism
Artistic swimming creates a gracefully unique experience for those participating, as well as those watching. This sport requires meticulous attention to detail and precise technique.
SwimRVA Rapids Artistic Swimming program began in 2020 creating a symphony of skills and powerful team building experiences. The team began competing in 2022, dazzling audiences with their spectacular routines.
I’m so excited to see this finally happening in the RVA aquatics community. High School synchronized swimming next?
– JULIE BISE SWIM INSTRUCTOR AT SWIMRVA-CHURCH HILL
HEADS HAMMER
Comprehensive swim training for adults
SwimRVA Hammerheads is a swim training program for adults that includes everything from stroke technique for beginners to open water interval sessions and demanding pool workouts for experienced swimmers.
Two signature events for the Hammerheads include the New Year’s Challenge and the DownRiver Rip. Both of these events raise funds for our Drownproof Richmond initiative.
New Year’s Challenge
The 2023 SwimRVA New Year’s Challenge marked the 10th anniversary of the event which is all about setting goals, pushing limits, and starting the new year off with a splash. Many families ended and started the new year together helping each other to meet their goals. 76 yearold Geraldine was ready to quit at 15, but made her goal of 20 when her grandson showed up and said “You have to want it.”
DownRiver Rip
This fast-paced swim is one of Richmond’s premier open water events. Participants are challenged to swim down river, with the fast current, to Robious Landing in either a 4.4-mile or 2.5-mile swim. Over 70 swimmers participated in 2023, raising $12,000 for SwimRVA’s cost-free Learn-to-Swim program for second graders in the region. Living in the River City while also being so close to lakes, pools, and oceans, it is imperative that every child has access to these water safety skills.
Winter Open H20
Our Winter Open Water program started as a response to drownings in multi-sport races in the James River. In the winter we now teach open water skills in our 50m competition pool reformed as an open water course. We reach beginning swimmers weekly over three months to prepare for spring and summer races.
$7M IN 2023 ALONE IN ECONOMIC IMPACT
A COMMUNITY ANCHOR FOR HEALTH EQUITY AND ECONOMIC VITALITY
6 SERVICE DELIVERY ACROSS SITES
Water is a unique and powerful connector. SwimRVA is the region’s leader in making water safety and aquatic fitness accessible and inclusive for all. The more access people have to aquatic facilities and programs, the more they will come together to break down boundaries and build up communities. Opening our world-class aquatics center (the first-of-itskind in Central Virginia) in 2012, SwimRVA now
also operates aquatics centers in Church Hill, Northside and Meadowbrook. We further run aquatic programming in partnership with Virginia State University and Hopewell Recreation and Parks at their facilities, extending our reach widely across the region. And we host and create competitions that have draw across the eastern seaboard, generating transformative economic impact through sports tourism.
NORTH
SWIMRVAMEADOWBROOK SWIMRVA-
Saving lives and building futures in Northside
At the end of 2020, Chickahominy Aquatics Association, which had to close permanently due to COVID-19 financial strains, gifted their pool and property to SwimRVA – preserving it as a watery haven for the community and allowing us to expand the reach of our mission.
With philanthropic support, we are turning these amenities from an outdoor summer outlet to a seasonally enclosed year-round resource, including a new and expanded main building
to house SwimRVA’s Swim-for-Life workforce development initiative. In the summer of 2021, SwimRVA-North opened for family recreation following extensive pandemic safety guidelines that we already had in place at our other locations.
So far, SwimRVA has invested $400,000 in rehabilitating the property to open again as an outdoor service vehicle for life-changing programming while we raise needed funds for the full renovation.
Year-round aquatics in Southside
SwimRVA-Meadowbrook is SwimRVA’s outdoor Chesterfield location that has been retrofitted with a protective bubble, covering the pool and allowing programming regardless of the weather. By working together with Meadowbrook Country Club we have transformed the pool from a summer highlight limited to members, to a year-round asset for the whole community.
The renovations include the pool dome enclosing the facility for six months each year, heaters for year-round training, updated locker rooms, and bath house improvements. The addition of this site further allows SwimRVA to expand its other programs including our workforce development training, autism swims, swim lessons and more.
TOURISM SPORTS
In 2023 alone, Swim RVA generated $7 Million in economic impact
Our flagship facility in Chesterfield—featuring the 2008 US Olympic Trials pool as its centerpiece—has become the nexus of proactive, inclusive aquatic efforts uplifting the region and turning Richmond into one of the most exciting swimming hubs of the eastern seaboard. have hosted every major competition east of the Ohio valley. More than just bidding for these respected and influential competitions, SwimRVA
uniquely is also creating our own competitions that have draw up and down the coast – including East Coast Winterfest, Shamrock Showdown, and Commonwealth Cup. It is ultra-rare to have a premiere organization like SwimRVA which
SwimRVA creates its own events popular along the Eastern Seaboard. They include:
SwimRVA has created a brand that is nationally recognizable for aquatic excellence. USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming have trusted SwimRVA to host the nation’s most prominent contests. Richmond is routinely selected because of the collaborative relationship with local jurisdictions and Richmond Region Tourism. In 2022, SwimRVA hosted the first aquatics national championship in the Commonwealth with the U.S. Masters National Championship.
Cody Miller at SwimRVA-CSAC Olympian (2016) / 2x Olympic medalist Olympic Gold Medalist
Katie Ledecky at SwimRVA-CSAC
REFLECTION PANDEMIC
Turning a time to get better into a time to be better
Whether it is access to healthcare, education, jobs, food or safe places to exercise—too many of our neighbors are without opportunities to be healthy. Moreover, communities are divided – too often siloed along racial and economic lines that echo historical injustices. A global pandemic only made a troubling picture worse. At SwimRVA, we took this historical moment to catapult forward, building health equity in our region.
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shuttered our doors in March 2020. While we were not operating swimming programs, we never
a full regime of pandemic safety protocols for aquatics.
We created a 112-page reopening guide that became a model for industry partners through reopening three months later. SwimRVA led the design of lane dividers, teaching poles and breathable teaching masks. We opened a virtual teaching center and SwimRVA Elementary, an on-site teaching center where children learned together virtually with in-person tutors and safe aquatics programming. SwimRVA wrote a manual for operating swim meets safely that
The efforts resulted in SwimRVA bringing the Toyota U.S. Open, TYR Pro Swim Series, USA Swimming Super Sectional, USA Swimming Futures and every Virginia Swimming state championship to Richmond.
During the pandemic drowning rates increased 29%. The SwimRVA Swim School was the first locally to begin serving our region with critical Learn-to-Swim programming. With the American Red Cross, we piloted lifeguard
certification through the exclusive use of mannequins. Techniques which today have become best practice in our vocational training programs.
The role of aquatics in community building became more apparent than ever. Through the pandemic, SwimRVA laid the foundation for our service goals as we capped our first decade of service to the Richmond region in 2022.
PLAN STRATEGIC
Distilling our passion and strengths into clear, galvanizing goals
SwimRVA seeks to continue to break down barriers and open lifelong possibilities through aquatic access in the Richmond region. Our new strategic plan emphasizes our vision to drownproof Richmond, seeking to ensure that every person in the Richmond region knows how to swim for lifelong enjoyment of the water. With a strong focus on serving people who don’t otherwise know how to swim and a desire to grow our positioning on the national stage for hosting major events that fuel sports tourism in the region, we have identified the following four strategic goals:
1) Hardwire Financial Sustainability – to ensure long-term service delivery to the Richmond region through aquatics and foster incremental regional expansion.
2) Elevate Brand Impact – to eliminate drownings and change lives through advocacy and policy change.
3) Deepen the Talent Pool – by building workforce development programs and supporting the people who drive and sustain our impact.
4) Strengthen Operational Excellence – to be a national leader with respect to facilities management, safety, air, and water quality and continuous service improvement rooted in a growth-based mindset.
MODEL CONTINUUM
Building a drownproof Richmond and pathways for employment
Beginning in FY2024, we piloted a groundbreaking continuum in Richmond’s East End that aims to reach across the school-age years: introducing fundamental water safety in the public elementary schools, building health and recreation in the after-school hours, developing
skills in the middle school years and preparing students to enter the workforce as a professional rescuer in the high school years. We aim to expand this model across the region in every jurisdiction we serve.
By providing free swim lessons for second graders in partnership with the public schools, we reduce emotional barriers and reverse historically rooted inequities.
Aquatic and life skill development—taking students from no/minimal swimming ability to certified lifeguards—and offering a clear entryway into countless opportunities in the recreation industry and beyond.
HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND
There is a nationwide shortage of lifeguards. By staffing public pools, we can employ young people who can help to support their families and open summertime neighborhood resources for exercise and recreation. There are also year-round employment opportunities at SwimRVA.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL
LEARN TO SWIM
LIFEGUARD SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
COURTNEY
MOATES PAULK
LEGACY CIRCLE
You have helped SwimRVA become the renowned and respected aquatics champion that it is today. We invite you to consider making a planned gift and becoming a founding member of the Courtney Moates Paulk Legacy Circle. Through planned giving you can leave an indelible mark on your community which can come with added tax and financial planning benefits to you and your loved ones. These type of gifts can be arranged by naming SwimRVA as a beneficiary on your will or trust, retirement assets, life insurance proceeds or inclusion in your estate plans.
Types of planned gifts
BEQUESTS IN YOUR WILL OR TRUST
Include a gift to SwimRVA in your will or revocable trust. This can easily be done to a new will or by including a provision in an existing will through a codicil. You can make changes at any time.
REAL ESTATE OR APPRECIATED SECURITIES
Avoid capital gains tax while making a gift of real estate or appreciated securities.
RETIREMENT ASSETS
Easily designate SwimRVA as the beneficiary of a retirement plan, a highly-taxed asset. By doing so, you can avoid paying income tax on retirement assets while allowing SwimRVA, which does not pay income tax, the benefit of the full amount of your designation.
TESTAMENTARY TRUST
Create a trust that gives you an income for life and passes the remainder onto SwimRVA.
LIFE INSURANCE
Donate a life insurance policy you no longer need or name us in an existing one to take advantage of tax deductions, allowing you to make a large gift at little cost.
CHARITABLE LEAD TRUST
Through a special gift arrangement you can use an asset to provide an income stream to SwimRVA for a period of years and then pass assets back to your heirs, allowing you to reduce estate taxes.
Learning to swim when I was young changed my life. It taught me how to win and lose gracefully. I learned I could be brave and powerful. I discovered how to work as a team and also how to excel alone. Swimming has been the throughline of my life and it has made me who I am today. I hope my legacy gift will help to teach future generations not only to learn to swim, but to discover who they are and what they can be.
– COURTNEY PAULK
Founding members of SwimRVA’s Legacy Circle:
Margaret and Ron Bargatze
Nancy Brown
Amanda and Adam Kennedy
Courtney Moates Paulk
Jayne and Bobby Ukrop
Courtney Paulk is an accomplished ultra-distance open water swimmer and an inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. Courtney was the first person in history to achieve the Double Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. She has served as SwimRVA’s legal counsel and advisor since inception. Locally, she serves as Managing Partner of Hirschler Fleischer.
Ashely Barrett
Erika Beauchamp
Rebecca Beazley
Megan Belic
Sarah Bell
Jennifer Benitez
Katrina Berg
Page Bethke
Catherine Biersack
Chuck Billingsley
Heather Blain
Anthony Blair II
Carrie Boston
Margaret Breedlove
Laurel Bristow
Peter Broadbent
Andy Brown
Jo Ann Brown
Noelle Burgess
Megan Burks
Blair Burnett
Nicole Byram
Robin Callahan
Holly Carlson
Grace Carr
Angel Carroll
D. Winston Chaffins
Susan Cheatham
Jennifer Cheatham
Nancy Cirmo
Susan Cleveland
Helen Collie
Christopher Colsson
Mary Ann Conway
Suzanne Copley
Hannah Cowan
Kathleen Creasey
Walter Crenshaw
Marleny Crescencio
Peggy Cribbs
Karen Cribbs
Jennifer Cronenberg
Austin Crouch
Louisa Cruz-Acosta
Bridget Cullen
Ryan Dash
Sarah Datovech
Ron Datovech
Susanne Denham
Debra DesMarteau
Amber Dierking
Evin Dogu
Jennifer Dortch
Carla Dungee Drumgold
Catherine Dueweke
Suzanne Dumas
Elizabeth Dunkum
Elizabeth Elam
Stacey Ellis
David & Frances Epps
Rosio Esparza-Hoppe
Heather Fawkes
Scott Feighner
Ann Feighner
Therese Finnegan
Mary Fitzgerald
M Fitzgerald
Loretta Fitzgerald
Gladys Fleming
Debra Foley
Theresa Fowler
Victoria Fracassi
Jessica Gallagher
Amy Garber
Gina Garzón
Jeff Geren
Dan Goldfarb
Jen & Jim Gorey
Jason Gould
Deborah Graham
Daniel Grattab
Trevor Gray
Andrew Grayson
Kendra Grimes
Elizabeth Grinnan
Catherine Gromovsky
Sheryl Grubbs
Earl Gunn
Carley Hamilton
Heather Harper
Lillie Harris
Emanuel Harris
Traci Harrison
Shannon Harton
Hans Heerens
Barbara Hichak
Ann-Alyssa Hill
Sara Hilleary
JR & Candy Hipple
Roosevelt Hodges
Wendy Hubbard
Patty Hughes
Victoria Humphreys
Emily Nunez Hunt
Jack Huntley
Harry Hurst
Andreas Huthoefer
Barb Jewell
Michelle Jones
Jon Kadunc
Kristen Kaplan
Laura Kassner
Karoly Kaszala
Seiji Kato
Margaret Keegan
Glenn Keith
Nicole Keith
Amie Keith
Patricia Kight
Travis Knop
Stephanie Korneke
Paula Lambert
Allison Larkin
Maureen LaRocca
Kathryn Larson
Amanda Lawrence
Robin Lawson
Michael Lee
Chad & Graham Lehr
Raymond Letourneau
Kelly Letourneau
Judy Letourneau
Lea Lew
Karen A. Liberato
Robin Lotz
Rebecca Mannion
Cathy Marny
Denise Martin-Masi
Carrie Mayrhofer
Wyatt McClellan
Charlotte McDannald
Michael McGee
Jennifer McMillen
Richard & Cass Meagher
Jennifer Merritt
Laura Michon
Terry Miffleton
Patricia Miller
William Miller
Glenn Miller
Stanley Miller
Edward Mills
Virginia Millwork
Ernie Miyashita
Sarah Molstad
Angelo Montoya
Katie Moore
Jaime Moore
Daniel Morgan
Teresa Morgan
Susan Moser
Sharon Murphy
Kellie Murphy
Laura Murphy
Candace Nicolls
North End Juice Company
Sheron Nunez
Kristin O’Neil
Dennis & Debbie O’Toole
Rebekah Odell
Kelly Okrasinski
Anna Oriole
Daniel Oritz
Tracey Papiernik
Viola Parsons-Sturdivant
Hunar Pasram
Pat Payne
Bonnie Perry
Christopher Pinder
William Pisa
Polychrome Collective
Cindy Poorman
Barbara Porter
Karen Powell
Julian Pozzi
Patricia Prescott
Cathleen Pursell
Robert M. Pyndell
Lynda Rafferty
Camilla Raimo
Natalie Rainer
Clara Rapada
Sue Ann Raring
William Rawls
Thomas Rawls
JoAnne Rawls
Leslie & David Reppard
Catherine Resplandy
Katherine Ricca
Laura Richmond
Courtney Roberts
Kristine Robertson
Kari Rochelle
Jackie Rose
Debra Rose-Martin
Anthony Rowedder
Hannah Sager
Logan Saufley
Adam Schapiro
Stuart Schluckebier
Kevin Schluckebier
Pauline Shabazz
Sarah Shafer
Allison Shelton
Martha Shoup
Anita Shrum
Christine Siddons
Jody Smith
Ariel Smith
Stephen Smith
Vanessa E. South
Kathleen Spaulding
Elizabeth Spradlin
Eileen Statts
Bart & Dennise Stewart
Jennifer Stoner
Jennifer Strine
Isabelle Sullivan
Erica Tazel
Dot Terhorst
Victor Thomas
Taylor Thorson
Natalie Tower
Crystal Trent
Kevin & Tricia Trent
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg
Frank Van Ryn
Sue Van Winkle
Robin Vickers
Kenneth Vinson
Gilian Wagner
Cheryl Ward
William Wardle
Maryanne Wiley
Leigh Wilsey
Bill Winters
Robin Yoder
Carrie Zoubek
LEADERSHIP SPONSORS
Board of Directors serving between 2020-2023
Amy Ashworth Calos Community Volunteer
Nancy Bagranoff University of Richmond
Erica Burgess Progressive Design President
Molly Bittner Community Foundation Chief Philanthropy Officer
Adrienne Cole Henrico County Public Schools Director of Community Engagement
Will Dixon Sports Backers Chief Administrative Officer
Paul Edelman Ukrops Threads (Retired)
Jerry Fox Cherry, Bekaert & Holland
Senior Staff
Adam Kennedy Executive Director
Debbie Kelo, PhD Director of Programs
Kirk Chamberlain Director of Facilities
Martha Frickert Community Volunteer
Mike Gill Hanover County Public Schools Superintendent
Mitch Haddon ColonialWebb
J.R. Hipple SIR Managing Partner
Jim Holland Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
Robert Kelley Pure Culture Consulting President and Founder
Michael Laming Genworth (Retired)
Ted Lansing Lansing Homes Owner
Scott Bennett Director of Communications
Rebecca Quicke Director of Life Safety & Events
Andrew Hartley/Steve Adams Director of Development
David Naquin Ukrop’s Super Markets (Retired)
Katherine Nelson Community volunteer
Karen Stephens Long and Foster Realtors
Jay Swedenborg Communities in SchoolsChesterfield (Retired)
Bobby Ukrop - Board Chair Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Chairman and CEO
