Bauman Chiropractic Creates a Gift that keeps on Giving

The Story of the Baumans

In June of 2009, Vancouver Parks and Recreation was facing some significant mid-year budget reductions and one of the programs slated for elimination was a free, family program known as Sunday Funday, which took place once a month at Marshall Community Center. The three-hour program included staff-led games and activities in the gym, arts and crafts and a 90-minute free swim. Thanks to a generous sponsorship commitment of $3,000 from John and Debra Bauman, owners of Bauman Chiropractic, the program survived. In late 2009, the Baumans extended their support of Sunday Funday for 2010 with another financial commitment, this time for $6,000.

In late 2010, in response to a citywide budget shortfall of unprecedented proportions, Vancouver Parks and Recreation had to make many budget cuts and service reductions; one of those being the closure of the Marshall Community Center on Sundays, which put an end to Sunday Fundays. However, it did not end the Baumans’ support of Vancouver Parks and Recreation .
In November 2010, John and Debra once again stepped up to make a much needed contribution to Marshall Community Center with another $6,000 gift targeted to provide a free family swim every Saturday afternoon in 2011. In addition, they donated $6,000 to the Everybody Plays Scholarship Fund, asking that their contribution assist families in providing swim lessons for children. “We’re happy to provide an opportunity to enrich the lives of local youth,” said John at the time of their gift.

In November of 2011 Vancouver Parks and Recreation received word from the Baumans that they were going to extend their commitment to the Marshall Center for 2012 with another $12,000 contribution. John and Debra’s generosity certainly spoke to their commitment to improving the health of our community’s children and families, and set them apart as business leaders who understand the benefits of public-private partnerships. The Bauman’s repeated their act of generosity at the close of 2012 when they made yet another $12,000 commitment to Marshall Community Center. They said at the time, “We feel fortunate we are in a position to be able to give back to a community that has given so much to us. To be able to provide an opportunity for children and families to access swimming lessons and fun family swimming time, is a very important priority for us as we believe swimming, in addition to serving as a very healthy recreational activity, provides children with added confidence and self-esteem.” Their donations came in year after year, all directed at making swimming and play available to ALL of our community’s children. These funds will once again in 2018 sponsor a free family swim each Saturday at Marshall Pool and also provide a free eight week session of swim lessons to 100 deserving children. The Baumans’ generous donation is a wonderful example of paying it forward. Thank you John and Debra for making a difference, year after year. You have given such a wonderful gift to our community.