Friends of the Dallas Center Pool

06/23/2023

☀️No rain here today, only sunshine for memories to be made for the next generations! Thanks for all who made this possible!☀️

05/23/2023

We accepted a generous donation from the Beta Sigma Phi sorority here in town. They want us to use it for something specific that the pool needs once it opens. This sorority does the holiday home tour and helps at 3 exchange zones for the market to market race every May. Thank you for helping with our pool project.

05/10/2023

Last night we had the honor of delivering two checks to the City of Dallas Center from our generous Friends of the Dallas Center Pool donors, totaling $260,000! Thanks for all of the citizen donations, corporate donations and grants to make this happen!

04/14/2023

WE HAVE DONE IT! After 2 grants coming in last week for $16,001 & $250,000, we were so close to the final goal. The final goal was to get all the slides installed with the opening of the pool, a pool heater, and other things we had to cross off the list due to higher construction costs.

In memory of Luke Little, we have hit that goal. Thanks to the Little family for that final push.

We are hoping for a mid June opening with ALL THE AMMENITIES!!!

Donations still being accepted to help with all those unforseen things that may pop up.

03/30/2023

Thank you to Bob Mikesail and Scheels for the 2nd donation to Friends of the Dallas Center Pool. Bob loves this community and is happy to donate to good projects!!! We thank you so much, Bob!!! Here we are in front of this project and the progress that is happening! Can't wait to see this completed.

01/20/2023

Thank you to everyone who supported us through Amazon Smile. The program will be ending on February 20th. Contrary to Amazon's public statement, your choice of Friends of the Dallas Center Pool was incredibly helpful and we deeply appreciate that you chose us.

12/22/2022

Dallas Center Residents:
To help attain a $300,000 grant to add the community priorities to our pool, we need evidence that as many people as possible support our pool’s construction with a monetary donation. Unfortunately, the Amazon Smiles that many of you have used to donate does not provide how many, or who have helped us so we can’t report XX people donated through Smiles in the grant.
See the notes below is more detailed information.
We urge you to make a contribution now.
In order to reach us in time to help attain the grant (it is due January 15), your check needs to be in the mail by January 3rd. Mail it to Friends of the Dallas Center Pool, P.O. Box 250, Dallas Center, IA 50063-0250. You can also drop it off at Brown, Fagen, and Rouse Attorneys, 502 15th Street, up until January 10th.
If you prefer to contribute on-line, hit the magnifying glass in the upper right corner, type in the word “pool” and then hit the Donate button under Lisa’s note.
If you donate on-line, please message Lisa with the information below so she can give credit to as many individuals as possible.
The reason for listing everyone as shown below, is that this note can be counted as a contribution of $5 each from four people instead of one donation of $20 only from you.
Sample Note
Friends of the Pool:
Please accept the attached donation for $20 from the following friends and family:
Bill Smith, Dallas Center
Jenny Smith, Dallas Center
Sally Smith, Adel, Iowa
George Smith, Topeka Kansas
More Detailed Information:
We are requesting your support for Dallas Center’s application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant. This grant helps communities construct recreational, cultural, educational, or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa.
The grant requires us to show evidence of support from many individuals and businesses. The County Supervisors have pledged $5,000 for this effort, and we are now asking community residents to add to that pledge. We need to raise about $15,000 before mid-January to add the foundations needed for the slides and shade poles to the new pool.
We feel your gift will be one of the best investments you will make this year for the following reasons:
· Attaining the grant could add more than $300,000 to community resources for Dallas Center.
· Ten to twenty percent of your gift would be matched by the grant (Your $10 will add $1 to $2 more in the grant).
· 83% of Dallas Center voters approved the bond issue needed to build this pool, but the grantors count contributions more than votes.
· The grant would add, in priority order: (1) shade over sections of the new swimming pool deck, (2) two water slides, (3) a water heater to extend comfortable swimming hours, and (4) a shelter in a new park adjacent to the swimming pool so families can picnic and keep an eye on young swimmers.
· We plan to complete the new swimming pool early this summer, and the grant will certainly help!

09/19/2022

Well done Sarah, keep the music going.

Please join us in congratulating Sarah Howell for 10 years of consecutive service at ADM!

Sarah is starting her 13th year in education. She was born and raised in Dallas-Center Iowa. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Iowa State University and a Masters of Arts in Education from Viterbo University. Prior to coming to ADM, Sarah taught 5th-8th grade general music, 6th-8th grade choir and middle school musical at Holy Trinity Catholic School. At ADM she has taught 3rd-5th grade general music, 5th grade band, and currently teaches 5th and 6th grade band at DeSoto Intermediate.

Sarah became a teacher because she likes helping others. She became a band teacher in particular because band made a huge impact on her life. Band (and music in general) provided her with connections to a community that she couldn't find anywhere else. Her home away from home was in the band room. She felt safe and heard there. She wants to create that environment and connection for her students as well. “I love teaching beginning band. The students are so excited to start learning their instruments. The beginning of the school year is like Christmas morning every year. The growth they make their first year on an instrument is so amazing - from playing nothing to playing actual pieces with multiple parts. The growth in the second year takes those beginning sounds and refines them. I have one of the coolest jobs ever!”

Sarah chose because of the community. It was close to home and a very similar school to what she grew up in. She has chosen to stay at ADM because of the community both in and out of the school district. As she describes, “There's something special about this place. People care about each other here. I am supported by my administration, fellow staff members, parents, and students.” Her favorite part of her role at ADM is the growth she gets to see in students after they leave her classroom. She loves seeing them when she travels to the middle school and high school and seeing how much they've grown as musicians.

Outside of school the school day Sarah plays flute with the Central Iowa Wind Ensemble and dabbles on the piano. She also enjoys spending time with her family (husband, three daughters, and two dogs). She also loves binge watching HGTV shows and knitting.

Please help us thank Sarah for her support and service to the ADM community.

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09/19/2022

Friends of the Dallas Center Pool will continue to fundraise for the new swimming pool. We want to thank Bob Mikesail for thinking of US when his company, Scheels, asked who he wantsvto support. Scheels "Gives Back" program provides associates the opportunity to give to a need in the community that they are passionate about in a random act of kindness. Thank you Bob for helping this community pool!!!

08/25/2022

This young lady just donated to our pool project. Tabitha had a lemonade stand and wanted all the proceeds to go to getting slides at the pool. We continue to take donations for this project. We are working on some grants, too. Please consider donating. Well done Tabitha!!!

12/29/2021

What a year this has been. The citizens of Dallas Center have spoken and we will be getting a new pool. The Friends of the Dallas Center Pool will continue to raise funds to lower the bond and provide assistance to the City of DC. We would like to thank those people who continue to use Amazon Smile and the citizens who have contacted us to make an End of Year Donation. You have been very generous. Thank you to everyone and we look forward to working with you in 2022. Happy New Pool Year.

11/03/2021

On behalf of the Friends of the Dallas Center Pool (FDCP), thank you! To all of the voters, donors, volunteers, and well-wishers, give yourselves a round of applause. Thanks to the little girls who donated their birthday money (looking at you Cara Pion and Kate Busby), those who bought rubber ducks, paid to have flamingos removed from your yards, endured December buckets of ice water dumped on your heads, and a long list of other friend-raising and fundraising participants, please know that you all made this possible.

To all of the volunteers over the years who put their stamp on the future of our community swimming pool, thanks isn’t enough.

Amy Lawton
Dusty Rauschenberg
Lisa Howell
Shellie Flockhart
Heather Willrich
Kacy Webster
Amy Strutt
Sharol Williams
Wayne Haines
Merle Baer
Jacy Jensen
Ken Matteson
Beth Wright
Linda Licht
Kyle Stille

City Councils past and present and city staff who patiently bloodied their knuckles limping the pool along all these years. Everyone I neglected to mention who took part formally or informally…

…cheers to you!

As we celebrate this huge win for our town, I remind you that while your generosity certainly provided the backbone for this victory, there is still opportunity to make your contributions count. The FDCP is still at work seeking grants and collecting donations. Every dollar raised goes to offset the actual cost of building the new facility. Please consider this great cause when making your year end donations.

Thank you again Dallas Center!