LBS to benefit swim lessons

SANDPOINT — This fall, more than 800 swimmers are expected to hit the waters for the fun and popular Long Bridge Swim, each skilled enough to navigate the 1.75 miles of open water.

For the first time ever another group, those who can’t swim, stands to benefit as the money raised from the 2010 LBS will go to fund swim lessons for any and all Bonner County kids and adults who don’t know how to swim.

The idea was the brainchild of Jim Zuberbuhler, who has served as the LBS race director for the past few years and decided it was time to finally leverage the event for a worthwhile cause. He set about contacting local businesses, hoping to raise $10,000 to provide scholarship money for the summer Park and Rec swim courses.

“Living in an environment like this, it just seems to us that every child or young person should know how to swim, not just for pleasure, but safety,” said Zuberbuhler, noting most water deaths are a result of either not having a personal flotation device or simply not knowing how to swim. “We can have a big voice and really help with this.”

Zuberbuhler pitched local businesses with various sponsorship packages, hoping to raise enough to underwrite the entire cost of the LBS, so that all of the entry registration fee money could go directly toward free swim lessons. He was pleasantly surprised at the level of interest and support.

He wrote an e-mail to Parsons, to see if they would be interested in the lone $2,500 title sponsorship, and they promptly replied the next day with a resounding yes. There were also three $1,000 sponsorships, five $500 and ten $250 sponsorships offered, most of which were filled quickly by local businesses.

Presently, there is one $1,000, two $500 and two $250 sponsorship spots still available, as well as an unlimited amount of $100 spots.

The inexpensive race entry fee ($16) basically covers the cost of the event and helps break even. Zuberbuhler is hoping the new plan can not just meet its $10,00 goal, but exceed it, and potentially save lives on the water.

Anyone who would like to sponsor the new program should call Zuberbuhler at 263-0346, or contact him via e-mail at “jim.zuberbuhler@edwardjones.com.”

For more information on the first-year program, and for a look at the new LBS website, go online to www.longbridgeswim.org.