Several members of the Seattle University swim team are raising money for cancer research by participating in Swim Across America, with Seattle as one of the host sites with an open water swim to take place at Luther Burbank Swim Beach in Mercer Island Saturday, Sept. 8.
Seniors James Gilmore (Eugene, Ore.), Allison Grubb (Kalispell, Mont.), Rachel Leighter (Eugene, Ore.), Kevlyn Richards (Gig Harbor, Wash.), and Joe Wertz (Richland, Wash.); juniors Ali Abadi (Edmonds, Wash.) and Tomas Mendez-Beck (Hillsboro, Ore.); and sophomores Kyle Moline (Mercer Island, Wash.) and Caroline Van Maren (Bellevue, Wash.) have all signed up to take part in the fundraising swim. Each swimmer has their own webpage to receive donations, and the team has set a fundraising goal of $5,000.
"We need to give back to the community that supports us so much, and a great way to do that is through community service," Richards said. "On top of that, we are student-athletes representing a Jesuit school where service to the community is seen, in and out of the classroom, as a priority."
Swim Across America started in 1987 as a single event in Nantucket, Mass., and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with dozens of events across the United States. To date, Swim Across America has raised over $40 million for cancer research, prevention, and treatment, benefiting numerous research facilities across the country, including the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
Anyone can donate to a member of Seattle University's fundraising team in order to help the nine Redhawks reach their goal. To make a donation, or for more information, visit this website: http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/Seattle?pg=team&fr_id=1532&team_id=3291.
The mission of the Seattle University athletics department is to champion the holistic development of student-athletes inspiring a vital and engaged campus community through the development and maintenance of a premier, nationally prominent NCAA Division I athletics program, in the spirit of the Jesuit tradition. One of the ways that the mission is put into action is by encouraging student-athletes to engage the greater community through meaningful service activity.