Swim With Purpose Provides $75K Grant to Kentucky State University to Begin Aquatic Center Renovations

Staff UP for a project, season, or year long.

Site Surveys - Service Calls - Augmented Labor - Full Service - See how we can help »

Swim With Purpose Provides $75K Grant to Kentucky State University to Begin Aquatic Center Renovations - January 11, 2024

Planning, Design and Construction for the Indoor Pool at the William Exum Aquatic Center to Commence

Frankfort, KY — January 11, 2024 — In a productive step closer towards rejuvenating the local community through the restoration of the indoor aquatic facility at Kentucky State University’s (KSU) William Exum Center, charitable fundraising organization Swim With Purpose, today announced it has provided a $75K grant to KSU. This grant delivers the necessary funding to officially start the renovation process for the pool, which will serve students, faculty and the community at large.

Swim with Purpose was founded in 2023 by AV industry executive and avid swimmer/swim coach, Sam Taylor, and is officially endorsed by Olympic gold-medalist and swimming legend Michael Phelps and the Michael Phelps Foundation. The mission of Swim with Purpose is to raise $1M to support the re-establishment of KSU’s indoor pool. Programs will be developed by the University, the community, and the Frankfort YMCA to break generational stigmas and create a safe and teachable atmosphere for children, college students and adults. The fund will also be used for ongoing maintenance and programs that serve the community. To date, more than 25 percent of the $1M fundraising goal has been met.

According to Swim With Purpose Chairman and Co-Founder Sam Taylor, the $75K grant was provided following a meeting with representatives from Swim With Purpose, KSU, Franklin County, the city of Frankfort, and the local YMCA, all of whom agree on the importance of moving forward with the pool renovations.

“This significant step marks the beginning of the journey to reopen the aquatic center at KSU,” said Taylor. “We are so fortunate to have this leadership team working together with the common goal of bringing the pool back in service with significant improvements. The grant allows us to immediately put the funding to use, which will shorten the reopening process by several months.”

President of Kentucky State University, Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo noted, “The focus in our partnership with Swim With Purpose has always been to ensure the needs of the greater Frankfort community are met along with those of Kentucky State University. It’s exciting to have reached the next stage in this project and know that we are moving closer towards the reality of making the pool a place for all those who need it for exercise, competition, therapy and socialization.”

To subscribe to the Swim With Purpose monthly newsletter, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

To donate to Swim With Purpose, go to: https://bgcf.givingfuel.com/-swim-with-purpose.

About Swim With Purpose

Swim with Purpose is a charitable fund held by the Blue Grass Community Foundation. Founded by AV industry executive and avid swimmer/swim coach, Sam Taylor, and officially endorsed by Olympic gold-medalist and swimming legend Michael Phelps and the Michael Phelps Foundation, Swim With Purpose was created to support the re-establishment of the indoor pool facility at the Exum Center for the students, faculty and community to utilize for healthy lifestyle and therapy. Programs will be developed by the University and the Frankfort YMCA to break generational stigmas and create a safe and teachable atmosphere for children, college students and adults. The fund will also be used for ongoing maintenance and programs that serve the community. For more information or to make a donation, go to www.swimwithpurpose.org.

# # #