Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
SANTA YNEZ, CA – February 17, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has presented the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation with a $250,000 donation to help the nonprofit reach its goal of bringing a state-of-the-art pool facility to students and the local community. The recent check presentation brought together members of the tribe, SYV Community Aquatics Foundation and Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, symbolizing a major step forward in bringing the ambitious, collaborative project to the valley.
“Our tribe is proud to support projects that focus on promoting wellness, helping student-athletes or benefitting the community,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “This one project does all the above. We’ve been longtime supporters of this effort to create an elite aquatics complex in Santa Ynez because we believe it would be a valuable resource for the entire community.”
Since the SYV Community Aquatics Foundation’s fundraising campaign began, the goal has been to build a modern aquatic facility to replace the deteriorating 50‑year‑old pool, which is beyond repair and no longer meets disability‑access standards or sanctioned competition requirements…