Swimmers will take to the Chester River Saturday, July 14, to raise money for both cleaner water and D.C.'s Metro TeenAIDS nonprofit organization at the Maryland Swim for Life event.
The event, in its 21st year, is hosted by the District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC), a swimming and social club for LGBT and allied swimmers. According to DCAC, Joe Stewart, an advocate for HIV/AIDS organizations, organized the first local Swim for Life after swimming in a similar event in Provincetown, R.I.
''DCAC plans to welcome over 200 competitors from across the Mid-Atlantic region in hopes of raising at least $40,000 for local charities,'' the event's co-race director, Pablo Fernandez, said in a DCAC release announcing the Saturday swim tourney. ''With HIV/AIDS being an ever-present issue for the Washington region, Swim for Life is a reminder that those individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS are not alone.''
Sanctioned by U.S. Masters Swimming, the 2011 Maryland Swim for Life event raised $20,000 for its beneficiaries, according to DCAC. The 2012 beneficiaries, aside from Metro TeenAIDS, include Heart to Hand, Quality of Life Retreats, the Chester River Association and the Chester River Valley Ministers Association. Swimmers, each required to raise a minimum of $100, may choose different courses to swim, ranging from one to five miles, all starting and ending at Rolph's Wharf Marina, 1008 Rolphs Wharf Road, Chestertown, Md. For more information or to register, visit swimdcac.org.
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