Main Menu

Mission & Vision

Mission

Sonoma Valley Health and Recreation Association, known as Sonoma Splash, partners with SVUSD to provide a financially sustainable state-of-the-art aquatic facility that creates a vibrant community hub where all Sonoma Valley residents can safely learn to swim, participate in aquatic activities, and have fun in the water.

Vision & Goals

Sonoma Splash is dedicated to providing aquatics education and safety, water fitness, and water sports and recreation for all members of the Sonoma Valley community.

  • We emphasize accessibility for all residents of Sonoma Valley, and strive to offer a wide variety of aquatic programming to suit our diverse community’s needs.
  • We emphasize affordability, through generous scholarship programs and partnerships with other nonprofits and local governments to ensure cost is not a barrier to participation in water safety classes and aquatic activities.
  • We hire and train people who are passionate about water safety and aquatic activities, and offer them a great team working environment with growth opportunities and competitive compensation.
  • We create a robust financial model that allows safe, high-quality programming while producing net revenues that contribute to the long-term sustainability of the aquatic facility.

A State-of-the-art Multi-Use Facility

Sonoma Splash’s partnership with the Sonoma Valley Unified School District has created a new high school aquatic center, modeled after the country’s premier aquatic and recreation facilities. The aquatic center provides Sonoma Valley’s students and residents with a multi-use facility that incorporates a 25-yard pool with 16 lanes and a smaller warmer-water instructional pool. The aquatic center will meet student needs while providing a dynamic programming package offering a wide variety of aquatic education, safety and fitness programs. Maximizing use is the key to success for any community pool – this facility will be designed to accommodate physical education for students, competitive swim programs and events, learn-to-swim programs, lap swimming, aquatic recreation, water safety, physical therapy and much more. The high school aquatic center provides meaningful access to the water for Sonoma Valley residents of all ages while creating a diverse revenue stream to ensure long-term sustainability.

SONOMA SPLASH STAFF

Jane Hansen

AQUATIC DIRECTOR

Jane began her swimming career in 1976 on Ann Curtis swim team in Marin County, CA at the age of 5. She was taught to swim by Olympic Gold medalist, Ann Curtis Cuneo. Growing up in Marin and in the Houston, Texas area she swam for the Woodlands swim team, Indian Valley Aquatic Club, Terra Linda Orcas and SwimMarin. In high school Jane swam for her Terra Linda Trojans and began playing water polo in her sophomore year (the first girls team). In her Senior year she was the first girl ever to be on the boy’s Varsity team. She attended UC San Diego. earning a BA in Communication and winning 2 National Championships as captain of the water polo team. She was also a member of the Junior National water polo team and was chosen to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. In the spring of 2010, Jane took over ownership of Sonoma Aquatic Club and ran the business for 12 years. She built a strong aquatics community during that time, including swim lessons, aqua classes, masters swimming and swim team. Jane actively participates as a USA masters swimmer and water polo player and coach. She is very excited that Sonoma will be getting a community pool and looks forward to creating a place where all ages can enjoy the water.

Hannah Martin

ASSISTANT AQUATIC DIRECTOR

Hannah Martin grew up in Sonoma, learning how to swim in the high school pool through the Boys and Girls Clubs swim lessons programs and the Sonoma Sea Dragons guppies program. She joined the Sonoma Sea Dragons at age 11, swam 4 years on the Sonoma Valley High School varsity swim team (where over 20 years later she still holds team records), and accepted a full athletic scholarship for swimming to San Diego State University where she studied kinesiology. In 2019 Hannah returned to the pool with the coaching staff for the Sonoma Sea Dragons. Since then she has coached swimmers who have qualified for the Junior Olympics, Far Westerns, Sectionals, and Futures meets.

“It really struck a chord with me when I learned of the mission here at Sonoma Splash. The goal to have every child in Sonoma water safe by the third grade; that is the start of my swimming and aquatics story. When I was in the third grade, I wanted to go to my friends’ swimming parties and I couldn’t because I didn’t know how to swim. I wasn’t water safe. Swimming isn’t just a sport or an exercise you can do for your whole life, it’s a life skill… a lifesaving skill.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PAUL FAVARO

BOARD PRESIDENT

Paul is a native Northern Californian who moved to Sonoma in 2007. He is a former senior executive of Nordstrom, and is currently a business consultant. Paul comes from a swimming family, having swam competitively growing up with his five siblings in Vallejo. His mother, Jeanne, was the 1976 US Masters National Bronze Medalist in the 1,650 freestyle. His father, Barney, was a senior advisor to US Swimming, and a founding member of the International Swimming (FINA) Doping Panel. Paul was drawn to the mission of SVHRA through his association with US Swimming, and the understanding of the need and benefits of having a publicly-accessible community-based swimming pool. Paul is still a competitive swimmer and enjoys open water swimming in San Francisco Bay. When not in the water, Paul is learning the ropes of social media from his daughters.

MARY FAVARO

BOARD DIRECTOR

Mary brings business, education and non-profit experience to the Sonoma Splash Board, as well as great enthusiasm for bringing a community pool to Sonoma Valley. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation before handing over the reins in 2021 to focus her efforts on nonprofit board work. Prior to her work at the Ed Foundation, Mary was a Middle School STEM teacher at The Presentation School in Sonoma, and a business consultant in locations throughout the US, UK, South America and Australia. She received her Masters in Teaching from National Louis University, and earned her MBA from Stanford University. Mary and her husband Paul have four children, and have lived in Sonoma since 2007.

BRUCE ABBOT

BOARD DIRECTOR

Bruce retired from his position as Associate Superintendent at Sonoma Valley Unified School district in 2022. Prior to Sonoma Valley Bruce held similar positions  in Lagunitas and Shoreline School districts in Marin. Prior to his work in education, Bruce was principal consultant at Price Waterhouse and a senior executive at Bank of America Corporation. Bruce served on the Miller Creek School board in Marin and had also served on the boards of the Buck institute of Education, Marin School of Environmental Leadership and still on the board of Vivo music program in Sonoma Valley. 

“My first job in high school was a lifeguard and swim instructor. I have been a swimmer and diver my whole life. It is a pleasure to work with the SPLASH team.“

ROBIN PITTS

BOARD DIRECTOR

Robin Pitts has lived in Sonoma Valley for over 40 years. She and her husband have raised their 2 children here. Both of whom were involved in swimming with the Sonoma Sea Dragons and swam for Sonoma Valley High School. Over the years she has served on several committees with Sonoma Valley Unified School District and also is a volunteer with Friends in Sonoma Helping. Robin was co-owner of a women’s boutique in Sonoma for 35 years, retiring in 2022. During those years she made many friends and contacts in the community. Robin was a member of the Sonoma Chamber of Commerce and Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau.

“I am so excited that the goal of Sonoma Splash is to have a facility that will work with the whole Sonoma Valley Community.”

RICH HODGES

BOARD DIRECTOR

Rich has been a resident of Sonoma since 1996. His previous non-profit Board experience was 6 years with the San Francisco Food Bank, and was Board Treasurer during a fundraising period that built the new Food Bank building. More recently he was a board member for Sailing Education Adventures (SEA) in Marin, and Board President for 4 years. He was also actively involved in the Cows Not Casino initiative in Sonoma.

Currently he is a Global Vice President of Customer Success with Genesys Inc., a leader in Customer Experience software solutions. His other business experience includes Head of IT at Airbnb for 2 years, and owning his own technology consulting businesses, GreenIT and Optimisers for over 20 years. He earned a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

KAETI BAILIE

BOARD DIRECTOR

I am a lifelong swimmer and have always loved the fun and camaraderie of swimming on teams, in competitions and in open ocean waters events. I consider it an honor to serve on the Sonoma Splash Board because the new Splash pool is a wonderful asset for our community with affordable aquatic programs for all ages. 

ALLYSON ETHERINGTON

BOARD DIRECTOR

I have great memories of swimming in the high school pool as a kid, and eating with friends across the street at The Dragons’ Pit.  

My mother, Kaeti Bailie, is a trail blazer swimmer; but I still am not a serious swimmer. I just fell in love with the feeling of being weightless and under the surface.  Most times when I am at Splash you will find me submerged and in my own world with my swim headphones. I have been thrilled to be able to swim Alcatraz with my Mom, which was at the same time exhilarating and terrifying.  And then on a quest to swim as three generations in a  relay across the Maui Channel in August, with my daughter Kimberly.

I hope to share with Sonoma the beauty and health benefits, both physical and mental, of being in the water.  The Sonoma Splash pool is a beautiful and dynamic place, and I am very enthusiastic to promote its mission. 

Translate »

Pool Pass Purchase Steps 

STEP 1: Click on the blue “Create an Account” button and create an account

 

To purchase a pool pass, click the REGISTER button below then follow these four steps: 

STEP 2: Click on "Register for Passes & Lessons!"

 

STEP 3: Under FILTERS, click on "Programs Groups", then check the "Passes" box

 

STEP 4: Add your preferred pass to your cart and checkout.