SplashForward

Big news! 🎉 SPLASHForward was selected by Kirkland Teens to receive a Youth Choice Grant Award as part of the Ignite Kirkland grant campaign! 🌊💙💦

Out of 28 incredible local organizations, a group of dedicated Kirkland teens determined our cause to be one of the most relevant, important, and effective in the community. We are one of just five selected organizations to receive $500 in funding from their rigorous grant-making process.

This award—generously sponsored by Amazon.com —will directly support our Every 2nd Grader Learns to Swim initiative. We are so incredibly grateful to the Kirkland Community Foundation for empowering local youth with a voice, funding, and a collaborative process to make a real difference.

To the high school students on the Ignite Kirkland Youth Task Force: 🙏Thank you! 💙💦Your award makes a big impact on the lives of local 2nd graders and will have lasting ripple effects across our community.

🙌 Want to join these amazing teens in making waves? 🌊
👉 DONATE to support our Every 2nd Grader Learn to Swim Program: http://bit.ly/IgniteKirklandSwim

🎉Today kicks off the 🔥Ignite Kirkland giving campaign! SPLASHForward is honored to be selected as one of only 28 organizations to participate. Our impact is ✨100% local, and today, your support goes further than ever.

💦The Challenge: The Kirkland Community Foundation is ✨matching the first $500 donated to SPLASHForward TODAY ONLY until that $500 is met!

💦Why it matters: We are raising funds to cover 🚌transportation from school to pool and back for our Every 2nd Grader Learns to Swim Program🏊🏊‍♂️, which provides free swim lessons and water safety curriculum during the school day. For many students who participate, this will be their very first time in a pool.

👉DONATE STARTING AT 6AM today - https://bit.ly/IgniteKirklandSwim

100% of your donation goes directly to our program. Let’s ignite a safer future for Kirkland’s kids! 🏊‍♂️🏊💙💦

Competing in aquatic sports…🏊🏊‍♂️🤽‍♀️🤽‍♂️swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming…in our King Country public pools is like the Seattle Mariners still competing in the Kingdome. It’s been ✨56 years since we built a new public pool on the Greater Eastside and only one new public pool in Seattle since 1969.

‘It’s a crime’ 😟and ‘It’s embarrassing’ 😳are often how this situation is best described.

🎉It’s time for ✨NEW PUBLIC POOLS accessible by all….an investment in social infrastructure by both public and private sources. 💙💦SPLASHForward is leading the effort to bring private funding, build capital partnerships, represent our local aquatic needs, and carry the vision for the new Bellevue Aquatic Center and the region.

Different than a new or existing professional sports stadium, a public aquatic center will 🛟🏊💦save lives by providing accessible 💦swim lessons, 💦water safety training, 💦safe inclusive year-round recreation, and a place to proudly compete as an aquatic athlete💙💦.

👉DONATE - 🔗in bio or https://bit.ly/MonthlyGivingMay

Building heroes, one certification at a time! 🛟🏊🏊‍♀️💙💦

Our 🛟HS Lifeguard Training Program builds a safer community by empowering local teens with professional skills, leadership, and confidence. The interest in the program has been staggering, with over 230 students registering for the program in 2026 alone.

You can help us keep up this momentum!

⏳ ACT NOW: It’s the final days of Monthly Giving May🎉. Our Board is MATCHING every dollar donated up to ✨$15,000. 💦💦Double your impact and help us certify the next generation of heroes.💙💦

👉Donate https://bit.ly/MonthlyGivingMay to become a monthly donor!

Looking to learn or practice the prerequisites for an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training certification class? Join us this Sunday for a Skill Strengthening Class taught by an experienced Lifeguard Instructor at the Overlake Golf & Country Club. We'll teach you the skills in a fun, low-stress environment, and give you feedback.

💦Sunday, May 31st
💦10am - 11am
💦Overlake Golf & Country Club
💦Ages 14 - 18yrs (8th grade - High School) are welcome!

Register Today!
👉Visit our 🔗in bio or https://bit.ly/LifeguardSkillsClass

Where a lifeguard chair is located or lifeguards are stationed at a pool or beach are planned so that response time as a team is under 2 minutes to reach a drowning person. 🏊🏊‍♂️🛟

Lifeguards practice response times during certification and regularly during in-service training. Responding within two minutes increases the chance of saving a person's life and reducing the likelihood of brain injury.

As we design the ✨New Bellevue Aquatic Center, lifeguard locations and number of lifeguards required to staff each body of water are being taken into account.

When Jaslyn started our 💦Every 2nd Grader Learns to Swim🏊 program, she was hesitant to leave her mom's side. But today? She’s a brave swimmer who loves the deep water!💙💦🎉

Her mom, Gina, says it best: "I wish for her to grow up to be a brave girl, willing to take risks and unafraid to try new things. These types of activities, although they may seem small, have a great impact on the lives of children and their families. Swimming is especially important, as we live in an area with an abundance of water, and it's critical for children to learn to swim for their own safety.”

This , you can help us reach more local students like Jaslyn.

✨✨DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT: Every donation is being matched dollar-for-dollar by our Board up to $15,000!

👕 GET THE SHIRT: Sign up for a monthly gift of $15+ and grab an exclusive SplashForward tee!

👉Join the pool party and help us build a "Water Brave" community together. 💙💦🏊‍♀️- https://bit.ly/MonthlyGivingMay

We appreciate💕 all mothers and their commitment to supporting their children's water journeys. 🏊‍♂️🏊‍♀️🤽‍♀️🤽‍♂️💙💦

From navigating registration sign-ups at all hours to score a coveted spot, to driving through thick and thin to swim lessons, practices, and meets. To finding themselves on waitlists, unable to make schedules work, or access is out of reach due to cost, transportation, or lack of public pools.

Mothers want the very best and we are grateful for all you do! Here's to making it easier for mothers as we expand access to aquatics and programs together!

🎉Happy Mother's Day!💐

🤩What a Big Turnout at Bellevue City Hall!
Today, more than ✨110 industry leaders including general contractors, architects, engineers, landscape architects, and aquatic professionals from across the region and nation, packed City Council Chambers to learn about the future Bellevue Airfield Park and the new Bellevue Aquatic Center. 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️🌳💙💦

The City of Bellevue Parks & Community Services team who SPLASHForward has been working closely with for the past eight years, hosted an informational meeting ahead of an upcoming Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that will begin assembling the project team. Pending State approval to use Progressive Design-Build, the RFQ is expected to release in March.

‼️Standing room only
🔥 Massive interest
💦One of the most anticipated aquatic projects in the country

This will be a Pool in a Park like no other, a year-round regional destination featuring…

💦 Zero-entry family pool, lazy river & slides
💦 8–10 lane program pool for lessons, lap swim & fitness
💦 50-meter configurable competition pool
💦 Separate 6-lane deep-water dive tank
💦 Warm-water therapy pool
✅ Dry spaces for cardio, parties, meetings & flexible use
✅ Potential healthcare provider amenities
🌳 Pickleball courts, splash pad, picnic area, basketball & trails

We’ve been meeting with outstanding teams since last year, and the enthusiasm to help bring this vision to life has been incredible.

📅 By mid-year: lead contractor & design manager selected
📅 Later this year: full project team in place

💙 Private support will be instrumental in bringing the new Bellevue Aquatic Center to life and keeping this project on an optimized timeline alongside park development. SPLASHForward’s efforts will ensure this becomes a truly public, inclusive, and accessible regional facility and we need you, the community behind it.

👉 Please continue to show your support for SPLASHForward. We need you!

After years of preparation since the Aquatic Center concept was approved in 2020 and the Airfield Park master plan in 2024, we simply cannot wait to SPLASH forward!💙💦