who we are
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.
sonoma splash is...
The quintessential childhood moment
A pack of kids on bicycles cruising to the local community pool on a summer morning, heading to a day of exercise and community-building disguised as fun in the sun.
The classic Olympics montage
Early mornings at the aquatic center, mothers and fathers drop off their high schoolers for pre-dawn workouts.
The emotional breakthrough
A special needs adult who has been taking swim lessons all winter swims his first full lap.
A family coming together
Mom and Dad train for a triathlon, the second grader takes her first swim lesson, and the teenager works her first shift as a lifeguard.
Sonoma Splash will help make it possible for moments like these and many more to happen every day in our community. Dive in, and join us as we support this important community initiative!
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 will provide 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.
staff
Jane Hansen
Aquatics 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.
After college Jane traveled to Germany to work for a computer company for 2 years and returned to start her teaching credential. She was a teacher at St. Francis Solano School from 1998-2010, teaching both first grade and PE.
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 Aquatics 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 guppie program. She began swimming competitively at the age of 11. During her years at Sonoma Valley High School she swam for the Varsity team for 4 years, setting school and league records, and going undefeated her junior and senior year in league races. Hannah accepted a full athletic scholarship for swimming to San Diego State University where she studied kinesiology and served as co-captain her junior and senior seasons.
After college she worked on the administrative side of physical therapy clinics in Marin and Sonoma. In 2019 Hannah was brought onto the coaching staff for the Sonoma Sea Dragons. Since then she has coached swimmers who have qualified for the Junior Olympics, Far Westerns, and Sectionals meets.
After a conversation with a Sonoma Splash board member in early 2022 Hannah knew she wanted to be involved with the new high school pool. “It really struck a chord with me when I learned of their mission, 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
MADOLYN AGRIMONTI
Board Director
LUIS DAVILA
Board Director
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.
Kelsey Minigan
Board Director
Kelsey Minigan, a Sonoma native, swam competitively for 11 years, prior to attending UC Santa Barbara where she graduated with a BA in Environmental studies. Her love of the water led her to scuba diving in college, and has explored the depths of the ocean along the coast of California and the Caribbean, where she lived and did environmental research in college. After UCSB, Kelsey worked in Sales for both The San Francisco Giants and Yelp. Kelsey has spent the last 7 years with Sonoma Brands Capital, a Consumer focused Private Equity Firm, where she currently holds the role of Chief of Staff.
Bruce Abbott
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. “
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