Save Smallwood Village Swim Club

Dear Members and Friends,

For more than 50 years, Smallwood Village Swim Club has been a place for area families to gather and exercise and play. But we may have to close our facilities due to a catastrophic repair that we’ve been told will cost $275,000 to fix.

Smallwood offers so many programs that benefit Southern Maryland families:

o Swim lessons that taught 200+ kids in 2022, and was set up to serve twice that (400+) for 2023

o Swim Team that serves another 100+ kids; the Marlins team has grown from night swim meets for Parks and Rec into a perennial competitor within the Prince-Mont Swim League and has further bonded families well beyond the pool.

o Guppy Meet – a 38-yr tradition, we host a special swim meet for kids 10 and under that draws children from all over Maryland

o Community Events – since 2020, we’ve added outdoor movie nights, a Halloween party, and other outdoor events to make even better use of our beautiful property.

o Youth Employment - many of our children had their first jobs working in the snack bar and then went on to become lifeguards

We’ve also partnered with other non-profits to offer meeting or practice space, including FC Charles Futsol club, Accessibility Bridge, Boy Scouts, and Good Shepard UMC.

As a 501(c)7 non-profit, the financial model for opening our seasonal club is based 100% on membership dues and fees and, unlike many of the new neighborhood pools in the county, we do not receive funding from any HOA fees. Additionally, whether we open or not, funds are needed to cover essential annual expenses of nearly $150,000 that include: insurance, property taxes, maintenance, utilities, and pool chemicals.

Our board members have been working hard to find additional funding, but we need your help. We have watched this community come together in remarkable ways in the last several years. Please consider helping your neighborhood icon and gathering place today. Your contribution allows us to continue to be a part of the Smallwood community for years to come.

The Smallwood Village Swim Club Board