Local teens and swimming enthusiasts Emily Johnson and Amanda Royek will coordinate the third annual Summer Swim Spree to benefit the West Broad Street YMCA and its summer swimming programs.
The event will culminate from 7 a.m.-11 a.m. on June 15 at the Chatham County Aquatic Center.
The purpose of the project is to raise funds to support swimming programs at the West Broad Street YMCA and to raise awareness of the importance of swimming for both fitness and safety.
This year it will have the added special purpose of keeping the pool at the Y on May Street open and to comply with new federal regulations requiring all pools to have a special handicap accessible lift the individual can operate independently and be permanently mounted to the pool deck.
That will require some $3,000 for equipment and installation, something that Y Executive Director/CEO Peter Doliber said is “simply not in the West Broad Street Y’s operating budget at this time.”
The project is sponsored by Friends Introducing Swimming and Health Habits (FISHH) in collaboration with the Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team and Savannah Swim Team.
Johnson’s mother, Stacie Wong, said the two local swim teams are joining efforts this year to provide opportunities for children who don’t have the opportunities they do and, in the process, help the Y keep its pool open.
Her daughter swims for the Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team; Royek for the Savannah Swim Team.
Participants are being asked to seek donations from neighbors and friends before the June 15 event which Wong called a celebration of those efforts.
Last year, Johnson and friends raised more than $2,000 to allow more than 75 children to learn to swim.
“There are many young people in the Savannah community who have limited access to swimming facilities and it is unfortunate that so many children in our city never have the opportunity to learn to swim,” Johnson said.
Royek added, “For me, the FISHH program is like playing it forward. … Swimming is a lifelong positive for everyone who participates and I am happy to raise funds, gather equipment and teach lessons to those who are less fortunate,”
Program organizers hope each swimmer will raise at least $100. Prizes will be awarded for donations earned Breakfast for each participant will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 15.
Donations may also be made at the West Broad Street Y website, www.westbroadstreetymca.org/downtownymca/donate
For information, contact Johnson at alohadoc@comcast.net