ROANOKE, Va. – Budget cuts are causing Roanoke City pools to stay closed the rest of the summer.
On Thursday the fundraising group ‘Keep Roanoke city pools open’ announced it is donating $20,000 dollars to the Kirk Family YMCA to provide 125 people with swim lessons.
“Pools are for lots of fun things, they are for birthday parties and they’re for swimming and they’re for families, but kind of a foundational thing to go to a pool and to really enjoy a pool is you need to be able to swim,” Organizer and Fundraiser John Fishwick said.
The group formed when the city announced it would not be able to open public pools this summer.
In addition to helping the city reopen pools next summer, the money will pay for the swim lessons now.
"Being able to provide those swim lessons is going to make them safer in and around the water, at Washington park and give them the skills they need to be safe," Kirk Family YMCA Senior Director Joshua Yerkes said.
Staff at the YMCA will work with the department of health to make sure the swim lessons can be taught safely under any guidelines set by the state.
"Swim lessons will look a little bit different, again the main thing is safety and not only our members and participants but also our staff so those swim lessons will happen but we're working through what those swim lessons will look like along those phase three guidelines and we'll adapt as things change with it," Yerkes said.
The first session of swim lessons will begin in August. For more information you can visit the program’s website here.