Swim Teams Making a Difference – What Can Your Team Do?
We’ve all heard about athletic events held to raise money to support important causes. The sport of swimming is another great avenue for supporting non-profits. Our year round and summer teams have participated in several donation-raising opportunities.
It’s easy to coordinate a cause-related event (often called swim-a-thons). It can be a local, national or global cause. You can hold the event during a normal practice. Swimmers can collect donations based on laps completed or distance swum during a specific time period. Businesses are typically very willing to donate as are family members and neighbors.
We had a student from a high school organize a fund-raiser called “Laps for Life” to raise scholarship money in memory of a swimmer who died in a car accident. He had been drinking and the parents wanted to use the event to promote awareness among young people of the dangers of underage drinking and driving while intoxicated. Local businesses, swimmers, family members and neighbors donated to the cause.
Your club or team can raise money for causes like breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, animal welfare, environmental issues. There are numerous opportunities. So think about organizing an event around the sport of swimming. It can make a difference.
A few upcoming opportunities that have already been organized and only require your participation:
Make a Splash, Make a Difference! Swim for the Severn!
Annapolis, Maryland
Saturday, August 2nd
www.severnriverkeeper.org
Weymouth Bay Swim
British Heart Foundation
Sunday, August 9th
The National Kidney Research Fund
On-going (organize your own swimathon)
Emma Dowler on 01384 340783 or email emma.dowler@nkrf.org.uk
www.nkrf.org.uk
Aspire – the UK’s leading spinal injury charity
THE ASPIRE CHANNEL SWIM 2009
Monday 14th September – Sunday 6th December 2009
http://www.aspire.org.uk/channelswim/
Aaron Peirsol’s Race for the Oceans
Fort Myers Beach in Fort Myers, Fla.
October 10-11, 2009
www.racefortheoceansevent.com
