Anyone got any swimsuits?

So summer is here and kids want to swim. But there is a problem as noted below in the Tampa Tribune.


Jun 4, 2005

They're Swimming In Good Deeds
By KATHY STEELE
ksteele@tampatrib.com


SULPHUR SPRINGS - Gail Kampff watched children leaning into the chain-link fence at the Sulphur Springs pool and wondered why they didn't come inside.

She soon found her answer.

The city's regulations require proper bathing attire for entry. That means no cut-offs, shorts or clothing other than a bathing suit. For males, the bathing suits must have a drawstring and lining. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult, who also must wear a bathing suit.

"If you're a single parent, you're worried about buying school clothes, not bathing suits," said Kampff, program director of the Apostolic Catholic Church of Tampa, which is across the street from the pool.

"It just broke my heart," she said.

Two years ago, Kampff and other church members looked through drawers and closets at home for bathing suits. They found 125 suits, and asked pool manager Mickey Ellis for permission to give them away.

"He didn't have to do it," Kampff said. "It's another job for them to give them out."

He enthusiastically pitched in to help, and two years later the church, with city approval, is expanding its giveaway to two more city-operated pools: the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pool at 2200 N. Orleans Ave. and the Copeland Park Pool at 11001 N. 15th St.

The city operates 14 pools at no charge to residents. In the future, it's possible more pools might participate in the giveaways, said Linda Carlo, spokeswoman for Tampa's parks and recreation department.

"It's sad to think that someone who can't afford a bathing suit can't come in," she said.

Last year, the church gathered 225 suits and $120 in donations to buy more. Kampff's sister in New Jersey persuaded her employer, catalog company, Redcats USA, to donate 50 of them.

"By word of mouth, the kids know that they can get suits," Kampff said. "They do not forget. They remember."

As of May, there were 250 suits, and more donations were anticipated from Tampa Bay-area churches.

At Sulphur Springs, nearly 80 suits were handed out in a few days, aquatics instructor Lee Ann Huntley said.

"The look on their faces is so stunning," Huntley said. " 'You're not really giving me this,' they say. 'Yes we are,' I tell them. 'Just don't lose it.' "

Thomessek Monlin, 15, plunged into the Sulphur Springs pool wearing her own suit, but in past summers she has received a suit from the church's supply. She knows friends who couldn't swim without the donated suits.

There aren't many places for people to gather for fun, she said. "It helps," Monlin said.

Thomas Peralta, 28, said his 2-year-old nephew's swim trunks last year didn't have the required lining. Pool staff gave him a suit so he didn't get left out, Peralta said.

"That's pretty good," he said. "The rules are there. You have to follow them."

As the summer kicks off, however, Kampff is worried about not having enough bathing suits, especially for younger children.

On June 12, the church will hold a fundraiser in the parking lot of Alpine Liquor Store, 7501 N. Nebraska Ave. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a hot dog, soda and chips will be sold for $1.75. Kampff said proceeds will go to buy more suits.

Anyone wanting to donate bathing suits may drop them off at the Apostolic Church, 7813 N. Nebraska Ave., or make arrangements to have them picked up.

For information call (813) 238-6060, or send an e-mail to GKampff@tampabay.rr.com.

This story can be found at:
http://centraltampa.tbo.com/centraltampa/MGBT133UI9E.html

So don't be a wet blanket - go out an drop off a suit or two or a dozen!