To my fellow San Juan County Islanders,

I write today in support of the Rally for the Rec community campaign to fund a Lopez Island Parks & Recreation District. My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of our local San Juan Island Rec (www.islandrec.org), which is funded by the same mechanism being proposed for Lopez. Not only do we enjoy Island Rec ourselves, but we also have many friends and neighbors who utilize the benefits of camps, events and classes for their families and children.

One of the first parks I visited on San Juan Island was our Eddie & Friends Dog Park — we’d just got our beloved goldendoodle, River, and wanted a safe place for her to run and socialize with people and other dogs. It was a delight. We now walk her around the ballparks at Linde Field regularly, which is just down the street from our home.

Our Park and Recreation District offers so much to our community! After-school programs, support for school sports, nature walks, whale watching, yoga, pickleball, art club, ballet, Family Bike Day, Parents’ Night Out … the list of available activities and learning opportunities goes on and on! And those are just the fall-spring programs. Summer is filled with camps and classes for students at prices that working families can afford, and scholarships for families that need financial assistance. Kids participating in these programs learn foundational values of teamwork, exercise, self-expression and more. All of this is made possible by a truly affordable levy that enables island kids (and adults) to experience safe, active, cost-effective programs that make a huge difference.

I don’t live on Lopez Island, but if I did, Rally for the Rec and the levy initiative would absolutely have my vote. $21/month so kids can have access to sports, camps, art classes, and special programs? Sign me up.

Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey

San Juan Island