Great Barrington — Berkshire South Regional Community Center’s will hold its annual Splash-A-Thon on Saturday, April 5, at 8 a.m.
The 15th annual fundraiser, which is held at the center’s Norris Aquatics Center, aims to raise funds for Berkshire South’s adaptive-needs aquatics program.
Many of the program’s activities are in the center’s therapy pool, which is the only warm-water therapy pool of its type in South County and meets the needs of people with disabilities as well as those recovering from illnesses and injuries.
According to Berkshire South Executive Director Jenise Lucey, the community center has been able to survive despite annual shortfalls. “This year, we’re projecting a shortfall of about $285,000, so sadly, that is kind of OK for us,” Lucey told The Berkshire Edge. “It’s better than we’ve been in the past, but we have a lot of work to do to make ends meet this year. Honestly, we’ve had a shortfall every year since we opened in 2002 because we just don’t have enough support. We try very hard to keep our user fees at a place that matches what our community can afford, and so we have to fundraise for over $1.5 million a year just to keep the building open.”
Lucey said that an annual increase in expenses contributes to the shortfall. “We see over 200,000 people come through the doors of the community center annually,” Lucey said. “We have about 1,800 members who use the center. Our programs are broad-reaching, and our work truly makes a difference.”
Lucey explained that the center’s programs are defined by the community’s needs. “It’s all about recognizing the needs in the community and doing the best to support residents, to be able to help enrich people’s lives, and what they all need,” Lucey said. “We have people from all walks of life who all share in our programs. People are attracted to the center because of their desire to seek physical wellness, mental wellness, and social connectivity. Loneliness is an epidemic in the United States, especially in Berkshire County because we live in a rural community where connection can be difficult. We see people come to the center because they can make those connections with other people.”
James Graham, one of the participants in the center’s adaptive-needs program, is this year’s ambassador for the Splash-A-Thon. Through the program, he has learned to swim independently, without the support of flotation devices.
“James is a young boy with special needs who has been coming to this program to learn how to become more acclimated in water,” Lucey said. “That was his goal at first, to get him acclimated to swimming and to ensure he would be safe. Over time, he’s increased his mobility. I’ve seen James go from his preschool days when he came here in a wheelchair, and now at 12 years old, he can put on swimming fins and swim length after length in the pool with his instructor. He’s made enormous leaps and bounds in the water, but he’s also deeply joyful.”
Lucey said that the goal of the Splash-A-Thon event is to raise $20,000. “But if we can surpass that, it would help to keep our aquatic center open,” Lucey said. “It costs us almost $300,000 a year just to operate it, and that’s more than some organizations’ budgets alone. From heating the pool, maintaining the chemicals to operate and keep the pool clean, to paying the staff, it costs a lot to provide this.”
Click here for more information and to enter into the Splash-A-Thon.
