Parker Stapp remembers his youth, spending pretty much every waking moment of his summers at the pool.
“It was my babysitter,” he chuckled
Fast-forward to Thursday, when a combination of summer heat and a bit of nostalgia gave an idea to the Outsiders owner.
He paid a visit to Iola’s Recreation Department office with $100 in tow, offering to buy as many pool passes as the $100 would cover. (For the record, it was 66.)
“I didn’t even tell Shawna what I was doing,” he said of his Outsiders business partner, who nevertheless decided to issue a challenge to other business owners via Facebook.
That little spark turned into a virtual wildfire of generosity.
By day’s end, after word had spread of the challenge, 10 other local businesses had reached out to the rec office to pay for pool passes on various days throughout the summer.
Most offered passes on specific days. Some paid a flat, $100 for 66 passes; others paid a bit more to get 100 kids into the pool.
And Iola Transmission Shop will pay for pool passes each Friday through the balance of the summer, noted Kristi Sutherland of the Rec Department.
“This was awesome,” Sutherland said.
Rec employees greeted youngsters at the front entrance of the pool shortly before it opened Thursday. Within 30 minutes, all 66 passes had been distributed.
Stapp remained a bit sheepish when asked about the endeavor.
“I didn’t realize it was gonna turn into what it turned into,” he said, but it has multiple benefits.
“I feel like nowadays, our small communities need to be more active and build each other up, rather than tear each other down.”
The other benefit, he noted, is the logistical impossibility of swimming at the pool with a cell phone in your hand. “It breaks my heart to see a community, with kids and their faces in their cell phones all day.”
