The Rotary Club of Sarnia, a founding partner of Pathways, kicked off the campaign to refurbish the therapeutic pool at Pathways with a $600,000 pledge.
“When Rotary members heard about the need to revitalize the pool, they were immediately interested in helping,” said club president Alison Mahon.
The pool was closed for approximately nine months after a leak was discovered a year ago. It reopened at the end of the summer following repairs funded by $100,000 in donations. “Children and pool users of all ages have been delighted to start using it again.”
The approximately 11,000 people using the pool each year include 800 children and young adults with disabilities.
For those children and young adults the pool is “absolutely irreplaceable,” Jenny Greensmith, Exective Director of Pathways said.
Before the leak, officials at the centre had begun looking at refurbishing the pool so it could continue to operate “for the next generation,” she said.
That work is still needed even with the recent repairs, Greensmith said.