Donors announce pledges to Wave of the Future campaign
By Molly Moser
The Wave of the Future campaign cabinet gathered on Thursday, Oct. 19, to hear activity reports from committee members.
Co-chair Bec Knudtson announced that the Sunday, Oct. 15, breakfast organized by the Kann family raised $2,600. Further meals at the former Riverview Café are planned for Saturday, Nov. 18 (prime rib and shrimp dinner), and Sunday, Nov. 26 (breakfast). Knudtson also noted a Sunday, Nov. 12, Knights of Columbus breakfast benefitting the project as well as a Wednesday, Oct. 25, information booth at the Guttenberg Motel open house. Proceeds from the Oct. 28 Halloween party at the golf course and a holiday bazaar planned for Sunday, Nov. 26, will also be donated to the Wave of the Future.
Campaign co-chair Jessica Cline, age 24, presented her own personal pledge of $1,000. “It’s a really important place to me and I’ve seen it literally crumble,” said Cline. Her mother, Darcy, also worked at the swimming pool while growing up in Guttenberg. “I took swimming lessons in Colesburg, but I saw the new pool in 1974. Shane and I have decided to donate $5,000 to the pool and Grandma Barnabetta Cline is going to donate $2,000. Harvey and Karen Torrey will donate $2,000 so that will be $10,000 from our family,” said Darcy.
Karilyn McArthur announced the Guttenberg Rotary Club's intention to pledge $10,000 in the future. A $1,000 donation from AEP, the city’s power supplier, was announced per information from City Manager Denise Schneider. Paula Deutmeyer, a loyal pool user and supporter, had a garage/bake sale to benefit the Wave Of The Future with proceeds in the amount of $113.
Faithful swimmer Judy Puls shared her fond memories of swimming as a youth and into her adulthood. Her son, Tim, learned to swim at the Guttenberg pool and had his first job there. Puls announced her stock donation to the Wave of the Future.
Kathy Lansing, committee secretary, spoke of her late husband, Greg Kilstofte, who was adamant about teaching their three children to swim. “He had them in the water as early as six weeks. We were daily users of the pool and Greg promised the kids each year to be the first dad off the diving board in the spring,” said Lansing. Her children worked at the pool and are now teaching their own children to swim. Lansing pledged a $10,000 donation in memory of Greg, and expressed her hope that the memorial could be used to purchase a sun shade because her late husband “would often sleep there on the deck with a towel over his face," she chuckled.
For more information: Open houses for the community to review the plans and ask questions will be held at the municipal building on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 11 am. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. If you haven’t been contacted and would like a personal visit from the Wave of the Future campaign cabinet, please call the city office at 563-252-1161. “The people before us did this for us, and now we need to do it for the next generation,” encouraged Knudtson.