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Community Corner

Join Swim Across America to make waves in the fight against cancer

BOSTON – Join Swim Across America (SAA) this summer and make a splash for pediatric cancer programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and MassGeneral Hospital for Children Cancer Center. The 21st annual SAA - Boston Harbor 22-mile relay swim is on Friday, July 11, and the 17th annual SAA - DCR Nantasket Beach one-mile and half-mile swims are on Saturday, July 12. Registration is now open for teams and individuals.

“The swims are a great way for people to come together and participate in a sport they love alongside Olympic swimming legends while raising critical funds for pediatric programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and at MassGeneral Hospital for Children Cancer Center,” says 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist Janel Jorgensen McArdle, who is also the president of Swim Across America.

The SAA - Boston Harbor swim is an all-day event beginning at 7 a.m. from Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel. A minimum fundraising pledge of $1,500 is required for individuals to participate. Teams of five or more must raise a minimum of $1,000 per swimmer. The minimum age for participation is 18.

Participants are assigned between two boats and will swim in a 15-minute session (heat) approximately four to six times throughout the day. Swimmers will be assigned to a heat with swimmers of similar ability. Breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages are provided.

The one-mile competitive ocean swim at DCR Nantasket Beach in Hull, Mass., starts at 9 a.m. from the Mary Jeannette Murray Bathhouse. Half-mile swimmers enter the water at 9:15 a.m. All participants must raise a minimum of $250 each. The minimum age for participation is 12. Wet suits are mandatory for both days.

For individuals who want to participate but are not comfortable with open-water swimming, a rowing relay option will be held starting at 7 a.m. on July 11 at the Red Parrot in Hull. Members of the Craic (Dedham) and Bare Cove (Hingham) CrossFit facilities will continuously row on a rowing machine for 24 hours. Non-CrossFit members are welcome to participate. The fundraising minimum for the rowing option is $250 per participant.

Swim Across America is a non-profit organization that runs events from Boston to San Francisco to support cancer research at the country’s finest hospitals and institutions. At SAA, money raised locally, stays local, ensuring that swimmers always know the impact that they are making. Proceeds from the Boston-area swims benefit the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic at Dana-Farber, where experts help pediatric cancer survivors with an array of issues, including long-term effects of treatment, social and psychological concerns, and the risk of second cancers. Proceeds also benefit the MassGeneral Hospital for Children Cancer Center for cancer care and research initiatives that enhance the quality of life for the hospital’s youngest cancer patients.

To register for either swim as an individual or a team, go to www.swimacrossamerica.org/boston.


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