Hey Asheville Masters Swimmers! We have been part of one of the kindest gestures I can imagine and it is this:
Last summer we had Joanie Follmer visiting and swimming with us from the Islamorada Swim Stronger Program (formerly the Fighting Manatees Masters) in the Florida Keys.
Joanie text me just after Helene hit Western North Carolina and asked was there anything she and her program could do on our behalf? I responded with our thanks and a shortlist of a few local charities I knew were already doing the work our local communities needed.
Here is the email I received from Joanie, Jenn Dutton (their coach) and their Islamorada Swim Stronger Program last night:
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Dear Asheville Masters swimmers,
A little over a week ago I texted Andrew to see if our swim club here in the Florida Keys could help out in anyway with your hurricane Helene aftermath. He gave me the name of three charities with boots on the ground doing good work there.
So with the help of our Swim Coach Jennifer Dutton and the participation of our members and also others in the community we put together a local swimathon event last Friday morning at Founders Park pool. We raised some money to donate to those three charities and a fourth one recommended by one of our members with family up that way.
We collected over $1250 and swam a total of 35,650 yards in honor of the Asheville Masters and all of those affected by hurricane Helene. Swimmers ranged in age from 3 to 76 years old, and everyone swam with gratitude and enthusiasm (and water wings, in one case) because we know this type of disaster could happen anywhere.
On behalf of the Fighting Manatees swim club, our coach Jenn Dutton and everyone here in Islamorada, we wish you strength and peace as you rebuild. We are thinking of you! We hope this lifts your spirits as your community recovers.
P.S. If you are ever in our area, we’d love to meet you in person! See http://www.swimstronger.net for Coach Jenn’s site and here for the Islamorada Swim Stronger program for our schedule and contacts.
Joanie Follmer }>~~~*>
Jennifer Dutton, coach
jenniferdutton@swimstronger.net
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We thank all the swimmers in Islamorada who participated in this swim-a-thon and helped to spread the love to the following charities doing so much good for our local communities!
Asheville Masters Swimming 