APSP Chapter Helps Special Needs Child

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The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals recently donated funds for the rehabilitation of a residential pool for Ariana Zyla, a girl with special needs in central Maryland, as part of its Smiles for Splashes program.

Ariana’s mother, Lori, contacted Chesapeake Pools, an APSP member, to find out the cost to repair the residential in-ground pool at her new home so her children could swim. The pool required a list of safety items, upgrades and repairs. During the conversation, Lori explained that the family had an aboveground pool for Ariana installed at their previous house by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Ariana, who loves to swim, has Rett Syndrome, a neurodevelopment disorder that affects girls almost exclusively. Lori introduced Chesapeake Pools Manager Nathan Dexter-Thornton to Ariana who warmed his heart with a smile. Chesapeake Pools and its owners wanted to do everything it could to help out the Zyla family, so they reached out to colleagues, associates and APSP to rehabilitate the pool for Ariana. Several area APSP members stepped up and donated their time, labor, materials and money to rehab the Zyla family pool.

Contributors to Smiles for Splashes include:
APSP  Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Lee and Jason Vaughn, National Pools of Roanoke, water blasting
Jim Sankey, Sankey Pools, skimmer and main drain pots
John Gresham, Pentair, pump and filter
John Arakelian, Baystate Pools, perimeter tile
David and Brandon Rethemeyer, Federal Stone, white DV coping
Jim Drozdowski, Paragon Aquatics, ADA lift
Jim Wilcoxon/Frank Ladue, Wilcoxon Construction, $1,000 credit towards re-plaster and bond coat
Mike Choi, skilled labor for caulking
Kirk Southworth, Winkler Pool Management System, service contributions toward labor, electrical, plumbing and concrete
Debbie Ashworth, Chesapeake Pools, project coordination, labor

Chesapeake Pools and the Zyla family would like to thank everyone and their organizations for their contributions to the project and its successful completion.

For more information on the Smiles for Splashes program, contact Doug Winkler by phone at 301-864-4900 or by email at [email protected].

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