An emotional dedication ceremony took place on January 16 on the Marcia & Stanley F. Reiter Swimming Pool deck at the JCC of Greater New Haven. Drs. Rosalind Atkins and Stephen Atkins dedicated and donated to a fund to benefit the JCC of Greater New Haven's aquatics program in memory of their two sons, Joshua and Michael Atkins. Their sons swam at and enjoyed the pool as children. In early adulthood, the men unfortunately experienced physical challenges due to a degenerative disease and passed away far too soon in their early 40s and early 30s, respectively. The parents’ donation in their memory has already enabled the JCC to purchase a special wheelchair for entering the water via the ADA-accessible pool ramp.

A swimming meet had just wrapped up, so the dedication was well attended by family, friends and the swim community.

In the pool, we are all equal, stated Dr. Jeffrey Hoos, President of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Whether you are big or small, physically challenged or not, in the pool none of that matters; the pool is a great equalizer, he said to an emotional audience.

For more images from the event, visit the event's album on our Facebook page.