HUNTINGDON VALLEY , Pennsylvania ( CNN ) -- The president of The Valley Swim Club on Friday strongly denied charges of racism after his club canceled the swimming privileges of a nearby day care center whose children are predominantly African-American . John Duesler said he underestimated the number of swimmers who would come to swim at the club . `` It was never our intention to offend anyone , '' said John Duesler . `` This thing has been blown out of proportion . '' Duesler said his club -- which he called `` very diverse '' -- invited camps in the Philadelphia area to use his facility because of the number of pools in the region closed due to budget cuts this summer . He said he underestimated the amount of children who would participate , and the club 's capacity to take on the groups was not up to the task . `` It was a safety issue , '' he said . The Creative Steps Day Care children -- who are in kindergarten through seventh grade -- went to The Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley on June 29 after the center 's director , Alethea Wright , had contracted to use the club once a week . During their first visit , some children said they heard club members asking why African-American children were there . One youngster told a Philadelphia television station a woman there said she feared the children `` might do something '' to her child . Watch Wright react to comments allegedly aimed at the children » . Days later , the day care center 's $ 1,950 check was returned without explanation , Wright said . She was dismissive of Duesler 's comments Friday . `` He knows what happened at the pool that day , '' Wright told CNN in a telephone interview . `` I was embarrassed and humiliated . '' She called it an `` unfortunate situation , '' adding , `` I know what happened ; the members know what happened and a higher power knows what happened . '' Watch the club president say racism is not at play » . After news reports of the incident , the office of Sen. Arlen Specter ( D-Pennsylvania ) said Specter sent a letter to the club president asking him to reinstate the contract with Creative Steps , saying , `` I think that you would agree that there is no place for racism in America today . '' Duesler said he appreciates the senator 's concern , but the club 's board has yet to make a decision of how it will proceed . `` If we 're going to revise our policies here , we need to make it so for all the camps , '' he said . `` I just do n't think we 're prepared for that . '' Duesler earlier in the week told two Philadelphia television stations the children had changed `` the complexion '' and `` atmosphere '' of the club , a comment that protesters outside the facility Thursday said showed that racism was involved . Bernice Duesler , John Duesler 's wife , called the negative response her husband has faced since the incident `` unbearable . '' `` He 's not one of the good guys -- he 's one of the great guys , '' she said , holding back tears . `` He does n't deserve this . '' She added , `` If there really was a racial issue that happened , my husband and I would be the first one [ s ] picketing . '' Jim Flynn , who said he was one of the club members who made a complaint against the children , told CNN this week it was not racially motivated . `` There were a lot of children in the pool and not enough lifeguards , '' he said . `` As general members we were not told that they were coming . If we knew , we could decide to not come when the pool was crowded or come anyway . We could have had an option . '' He also said invitations to two other day care centers , neither of which contained minority children , had previously been withdrawn . Girard College , a private Philadelphia boarding school , told CNN on Thursday it would offer Creative Steps Day Care use of its facilities this summer .
Swim club president John Duesler : `` It was never our intention to offend anyone '' `` He knows what happened at the pool that day , '' day care director counters . Duesler : Club is `` very diverse , '' and had reached out because area pools had closed . Duesler says club 's board has yet to decide whether to reinstate center 's contract .