There is an old adage you can’t get something for nothing and for the most part that’s true.
But, like everything in life, there are exceptions. On Wednesday, Aug. 19, a group of 37 youths in Barrhead’s Summer Recreation Program were treated to an afternoon of free swimming at the Westlock Aquatic Centre.
Taryn Sekulich, Barrhead Summer Recreation Program summer student, said earlier in the summer as part of their regular children summer program, they took the kids to the Westlock Aquatic Centre.
“The kids really enjoyed it and we really wanted to do another one, but we weren’t sure there was money in the program for it,” she said, adding that is why staff were so excited to hear that a local businessman, John Van Beek, offered to donate his time and bus for another trip. Van Beek runs All Pro Bussing Charter Service.
Sue Keenan, Barrhead Parks and Recreation director, agreed with Sekulich.
“By the time you rent the bus and then pay the admission fee, you are looking at about $1,000,” she said, adding to make sure as many children as possible can participate in the summer programs, town staff make a concerted effort to keep fees as low as possible. “It’s a really generous donation and one that the recreation department and the kids really appreciate.”
Because of Van Beek’s generous donation, Summer Recreation Program staff decided that the trip to the pool in Westlock would be free.
The problem, however, is that only so many people were able to fit on the bus. By the time the summer program supervisors are included the number of spots were limited to 37.
“We wanted to be fair to everyone, so we decided to put all the children who registered in a summer program into a draw,” Sekulich said. “When we called the kids to tell them they won, they were so excited.”
And it was that excitement that prompted Van Beek to donate his bus.
“We have all these kids who want to go swimming and we don’t have a pool,” he said. “So my wife and I took it upon ourselves, to give back to the community and take some kids swimming. When you see the smiles on their faces when they walk in that pool, its just awesome,” he said.
