Campus News

November 10th, 2026

Community teams up to fund scoreboard

First Peoples, Collins’, GC Foundation, I Can Swim! collaborate

Funding a new video scoreboard at the Edwards Community Aquatic & Recreation Complex ended up being a team effort.

First Peoples Community Federal Credit Union, community members George and Madeleine Collins, the Garrett College Foundation, and the I Can Swim! program jointly provided the funding for the video scoreboard. The project will address a request by the Northern Garrett and Southern Garrett high school swim teams – who use the CARC as their practice and home meet facility – for an updated scoreboard that includes a real-time timing system.

“We like to be in the community, and scoreboards are one of our staples,” said First Peoples Chief Operating Officer Kelly Brown.

“Scoreboards are a good advertisement – but they’re also a nice way to give back to the community,” added First Peoples President & Chief Executive Officer Randy Olsen.

First Peoples already had a connection to the high school swim program as Chief Financial Officer Alison Sweitzer is Southern Garrett’s head coach and had both of her daughters on last year’s inaugural SGHS Rams swim team.

“That’s probably why Alison suggested the scoreboard route,” Olsen said with a smile.

George and Madeleine Collins also have a history with the CARC, having coached their children and grandchildren on Manta Ray swim teams that now call the CARC home.

“We have water in our blood,” said Madeleine, a past aquatics instructor and lifeguard. George has been an award-winning ocean/pool competitive swimmer, as well as a coach, for much of his life.

Angela Luby, the CARC’s program coordinator for aquatics and group fitness, said the new video scoreboard will also benefit both I Can Swim! and the College & Me program that Garrett College operates jointly with Garrett County Public Schools.

“We’ll be able to show demonstration videos of what we want the students to learn on the video screen and then replicate that training in the pool,” said Luby.

Carissa Rodeheaver, interim chair of the Garrett College Foundation Board of Directors, said the Foundation was pleased to contribute financially to the project.

“There are so many wonderful things that happen in the CARC pool – everything from I Can Swim! classes to high school meets to children’s birthday parties,” Rodeheaver observed. “The Foundation was pleased to be part of the funding team on this project.”

Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president, said the video scoreboard initiative “is indicative of the generosity present in our community.”

“I appreciate the willingness of each of these funders – First Peoples, the Collins’, the Foundation, and I Can Swim! – to help us address a community need,” said Midcap.

Midcap noted GC Foundation representative Janet Kepple’s role in bringing together the project funders.

“Janet identified groups and individuals who she knew were supportive of what we do over in the CARC pool and did a great job with bringing them into this project,” said Midcap.