After being largely deserted, the Tootell Pools might soon be seeing more visitors thanks to Rhody Outpost’s swim-a-thon. Photo from uri.edu.
In conjunction with Rhody Outpost, the University of Rhode Island Campus Recreation team has organized a swim-a-thon for students, faculty and staff members.
The event, initially planned for the fall semester, was pitched by Rhody Outpost in order to help students suffering from food insecurity on campus. According to Lacey Hylen, a graduate student who works for Campus Recreation, this event also benefits the Tootell Aquatic Center by encouraging students to utilize the facility.
“It’s about wanting to give back to the school, give back to the students, make sure we can help support in any way we need to and then get people in our facility,” Hylen said.
URI’s pool has been fairly inactive due to the pandemic, but Hylen hopes that the swim-a-thon will increase activity.
Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, the pool is not currently open for community members, but drop off donations are being accepted all day to support the cause.
The Recreation Center has taken steps to ensure the safety of participants during their swim time. URI Aquatics Specialist Cindy Prenguber has played a key role in developing precautions for this event.
No more than 16 swimmers will be allowed in the pool at any time to make sure participants will be following social distancing guidelines. In addition, students and staff who register for this event are expected to be abiding by URI’s biweekly testing schedule.
“In the [Recreation] Center and on the pool deck, everyone must wear a mask, and our numbers are controlled due to our [COVID-19] policies,” Prenguber said. “That’s why we set lane reservation times.”
In order to access the pool, swimmers must donate three non-perishable items to the Rhody Outpost food pantry. They will accept any type of non-perishable contributions, including but not limited to: tuna, sardines, soup, oatmeal, rice, disinfectant products, hygiene items and paper towels.
Monetary donations are also being collected at the event so Rhody Outpost can purchase additional items that are often scarce at the pantry.
The food pantry is open at St. Augustine’s Church on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students who need access to these dry goods can do so by providing their URI ID upon arrival.
Participants are also encouraged to find sponsors for this event by asking friends and family members to donate a certain amount of items for each lap they swim.
Prenguber hopes that this event will spread awareness for students who are facing food insecurity at URI.
“I think a lot of the time, the kids who aren’t in need don’t realize that maybe the kid sitting next to them in class is going without meals,” she said.
Receiving additional donations from participants as well as their sponsors and community members will strengthen Rhody Outpost’s ability to help those struggling on campus. There is no limitation to how many donations swimmers can give to the cause.
Registration for this event can be found on IMLeagues. Time slots are an hour long, held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 14.