Deep Thoughts from Deep Water Aerobics

 

Meet Kathy.  She instructs the Deep Water Aerobics class in the summer at my park district.  Her class is the opener for the diving well weekday mornings.  It is one of the experiences that I put on my joy list (I don't mind getting my hair wet!). It offers a "surban" connection with nature (We watch the sun blaze its path, butterflies find the milkweed, a bunny family try to get out of the gated area, dogwalkers) before our neighborhood fully awakens.   It also rallies our capacity for the day (thanks to Kathy and her equally upbeat music selections, pool toy play, and creatively titled movements).  And the cherry on top for me is still the major rule break (you don't have to immediately head to the sidewall after jumping in).    

Raised a rule follower (Catholic school) and a pool rat (my dad was a lifeguard and so was I, even ran pools for a management company as a teen), being able to stay in the diving well for an hour is still exciting.  It has me thinking about the way the organizations I support can better serve their stakeholders.   Here, Kathy helped the park district engage those from the area who wouldn't have otherwise used the pool (swim lessons/lap swim/public swim)... and she did it in a way that elevated their sense of community (a class) without disrupting the park's regular schedule (offered outside of normal business hours).  For one local association I served, we similarly upped the ante by adding a member feature that allowed members to use our office space for their own gatherings when we didn't have something calendared.  It became an attractive service and helped build awareness to our offerings among individuals who only came to our space for a member's meeting. 

How can your organizations rethink their resources and better connect with constituents in a meaningful way?  

Finding Momentum in Natural Transition

 

Last month, we went to an easy-to-execute grill-out (hot dogs with condiments, bulk mini-chip bags/ separately-wrapped snacks, and water bottles) to ask questions about and consider joining a group created by the merger of the Elmhurst Swim Team and Elmhurst Water Polo team (an all-encompassing aquatics program dubbed Elmhurst Aquatics). 

The merger wasn't fueled by the pandemic. It was fueled by a retirement.   The retirement opened a door to allow change that had been requested for years.  It would also keep the sports from losing their following... and hopefully, attract new recruits with different needs.

It worked for me.  It meant my kids, who didn't want the heavy swimming commitment and were a little unnerved by the physical contact of water polo, could finally get their hair wet learning more about diving before high school.  

What can you do to help your group review why it exists and what collabs can make it stronger? What are the barriers that keep you from doing something about what needs to be done?