At their third annual St. Patrick’s Day Dance fundraiser, Friends of Dormont Pool presented officials from Dormont Borough with a check for $50,000 to help keep one of the oldest and largest pools in Western Pennsylvania running. The note on the check read, “Saving Dormont Pool, one dollar at a time.”
Friends of Dormont Pool formed in 2006 when a group of Dormont residents came together to raise money for structural repairs to the pool, including new decking and flooring, renovating the bathhouse, and structural work. Through a door-to-door campaign, the group raised $20,000, and helped the borough with grant-writing to raise $575,000 for the needed repairs.
Since then, Friends of Dormont Pool has continued to raise money through annual events like the St. Patrick’s Day Dance, a pub crawl, a scavenger hunt, and a Steelers ticket raffle. Residents, artists, and local businesses help by donating time and supplies. Even the giant check presented at this year’s dance was printed and donated by a local resident.
“We’ve had a lot of help,” says John Maggio, one of the group’s founders. “There have been a lot of unsung heroes in this.”
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Writer: Rob Cullen
Source: John Maggio, Friends of Dormont Pool
Image courtesy Ed Massery