In my memory I am tiny, maybe three or four years old. I am playing in the pool, on the steps leading down into the water by the locker room entrance; It is the only part of the pool I can access without the help of an adult. I climb down the steps through the water, until I am standing on the last one, where the water is up to my chest. I hang onto the smooth aluminum railing, my cheek resting against the metal. My awareness goes out into the pool. Beyond this step, the water feels like a vast and unexplored terrain, full of excitement and discovery.
Lately, I have been reminded of this memory as we embark on RFR's latest strategic planning process. We are having big conversations - the pool has been here for 40 years! How can we maintain this vital community resource into the future? How can the rec center grow to accommodate increased use? What kinds of things might our organization offer the community that we haven't yet imagined? It feels like being the kid in that little corner of the pool, standing on the familiar old step, wondering at all the possibilities in the deeper water.
