Fry’s Spring Next Century
Founded in 1921, Fry’s Spring Beach Club (FSBC) has been in operations for over a century. Generations of local children have grown up at the club, learning to swim, competing on the swim team, and even working at their first jobs. Families have come together year after year to enjoy the grounds, dance in the historic ballroom, listen to live music, and cool off in the pools.
As a forward-looking community organization in the 21st century, however, we are coming to terms with the club’s racist past and have enshrined these efforts in our plans for the club’s future. As FSBC moves into its second century of operations, we are committed to increasing the ethnic, racial, and socio-economic diversity of our membership and staff. We are actively working to address past inequities and to make FSBC a club that is representative of our community as a whole.
Fry’s Spring Next Century (FSNC) is a 501(c)(3) organized in 2020 by former FSBC Board President Melissa Henriksen to realize these goals of Fry’s Spring Beach Club and promote its values in the community.
FSNC’s mission is to raise funds, administer scholarships, and support the following FSBC initiatives, designed to expand recreational access and opportunities through FSBC to under-represented families in the community.
Membership Scholarships
FSNC aims to extend full membership scholarships to 10% of FSBC families each year. Many of these families come to us through a partnership with the Ben Hair-Just Swim for Life Foundation (BH-JSL). The majority of children in the area from low-income families or minority groups cannot swim and feel uncomfortable around the water. The program’s first goal is to “waterproof” participants so that they are safe in the water. FSBC welcomes program participants and their families to enjoy the grounds and pools during lessons.
Upon graduating from the BH-JSL program, many participants are eager to continue swimming. FSBC extends membership scholarships to these families, giving them full access to FSBC as well as a place on the swim team.
FSBC expands upon this scholarship program through work with additional community partners and local schools. We encourage members to nominate families for scholarships as well.
Our hope is that these children and their families grow up and thrive at the club and become a part of the community. Many of our members with scholarships have begun swim lessons here, not knowing how to swim, and have moved on to getting their first jobs as swim coaches, helping a new generation of kids learn to love the water.
July 2018 CBS News: Refugees Find More than a Swim Team at Fry’s Spring
FSBC Summer Camp Scholarships
FSBC will host its 6th annual summer day camp in 2022. This popular program offers an array of fun and enriching activities including sports, art, music and dance, nature exploration, free swim and lots of fun and games. Taking place on FSBC’s bucolic, seven-acre, shaded grounds, it’s a magical summer experience for kids 3-11 years old. Additionally, we offer a counselor-in-training (CIT) program for 12–14-year-olds where they still enjoy the fun and games of camp, but also assume some of the responsibility of camp with an eye toward becoming future junior counselors.
Each year, FSBC reserves up to 25% of its enrollment for campers and counselors-in-training needing full scholarships to attend. We welcome children and teens of color and/or with financial need in the community through our own outreach efforts as well as partnerships with local non-profits.
Teen Outreach and Employment
Each summer, FSBC employs approximately 100 youth, ages 14 and up, as lifeguards, café workers, camp counselors, and swim coaches. These are ideal first jobs and they come with extensive job interview training and job training. FSBC further provides coaching and encouragement to all of its employees.
We strive to make youth employment a positive learning experience where they are supported by the community at the club. Additionally, our managers all have broad experience with teenagers; many of them are teachers at local high schools.
For this program, FSBC will work with local non-profits to identify teenagers ready for their first jobs. We will sponsor up-front costs such as lifeguard certifications and provide pre-and post shift meals for under-represented employees.
Neighborhood Outreach
In 2021, FSBC began partnering with City of Promise and UVA’s Equity Center to bring children from the Westhaven neighborhood to FSBC for supervised free swim and play. FSBC volunteer members provided transportation to and from the club. FSBC plans to continue and expand this program in 2022.
Friends of Families
Many of our members already help and have relationships with local families and children who would benefit from our scholarship program. FSBC encourages members to bring these children and their families to FSBC with them for no charge.
Sponsorships
If you are a business interested in becoming a sponsor, we offer several levels of sponsorship and advertising benefits.
FSNC Board of Directors
President: Robin Wrightson
Secretary: Jenny Ragsdale
Treasurer: Bruce Gehle
At-Large: Lila Heymann