Save Our Swimming, the citizens group formed to pass Des Moines Proposition 1 and save the Mount Rainier Pool, will host its campaign kick-off from 4-7 p.m., Oct. 9 at the pool. A free family cookout and open swim will follow the rally.

The guest of honor will be Ariana Kukors, who shattered the world record in the Women's 200 IM in August at the FINA World Championships in Rome.

Kukors swims for KING Aquatic Club, which trains at Mount Rainier Pool.

Her teammates include Olympians Megan (Quann) Jendrick and Margaret Hoelzer. Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler will recognize Kukors' accomplishment.

Also expected to be on hand is Faith Callahan, a three-day-a-week veteran of Mount Rainier Pool's low-impact water aerobics program. Callahan celebrates her 105th birthday on Oct. 24 and credits the pool for her continued mobility.

A large number of seniors from local retirement homes utilize the pool.

Since its opening in 1975, Mount Rainier Pool has trained tens of thousands of youngsters to swim, produced perennial state powerhouse boys and girls 3A swim teams, and been utilized for water safety instruction for groups as diverse as Boeing and Alaska Airlines to scuba divers.

Proposition 1 on the Nov. 3 general election ballot asks voters to create a metropolitan park district for the specific purpose of operating and maintaining a pool in Des Moines.

Voters will also be asked to elect a five-member board of commissioners to oversee the district. If the proposition fails, the pool will likely close.

SOS will mount a doorbell campaign beginning Oct. 10 to ask voters to approve the 20 cents per $1000 assessed valuation levy to operate the pool.

For the owner of an average $280,000 home, it amounts to $56 a year or approximately $1 a week.

"Nine Americans drown every day. Three of them are children. The No. 1 way to protect them is to teach them to swim and that has been Mount Rainier Pool's mission for 34 years. It's a legacy we need to continue," SOS campaign media consultant Gene Achziger said.

"Asking voters for money during these trying economic times is always a tough sell," acknowledged Achziger. "But when you've got a program as successful as Mount Rainier Pool has been, we can't afford to let it shut down.

For more information, visit the SOS website at: www.mrpoolsos.com