Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Chicago community benefiting Rush University Cancer Center. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/chicago.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Nantucket community benefiting Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/nantucket.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Tampa community benefiting Rogel Cancer Center. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/detroit.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Charleston-Kiawah community benefiting MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/kiawah.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Nashville community benefiting Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/nashville.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Houston community benefiting MD Anderson Cancer Center. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/houston.
Here are some recent stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have had in the Tampa community benefiting Johns Hopkins All Chidren’s Hospital. If you would like to register, volunteer or donate, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/tampa.
On September 25th, 2021, three-time Olympian Elizabeth Beisel completed the 10.4-mile ocean swim from mainland Rhode Island to Block Island. Elizabeth partnered with Swim Across America for “Block Cancer” to honor her father, Ted Beisel, who passed in 2021 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Elizabeth became the first woman to successfully complete the swim raising over $160,000.
THE GRANTS
In addition to the $160,000 Elizabeth raised, Swim Across America raised an additional $500,000, with appreciation to the Lustgarten Foundation, to create a $660,000 grant bucket. The $660,000 is being applied to three grants to fight pancreatic cancer in honor of Ted Beisel:
a) A $60,000 grant to Dr. Peter Yu (NYU) pancreatic research metabolism study was awarded in 2022 b) A $300,000 grant to Dr. Ajay Goel (City of Hope) to conduct research for pancreatic detection was awarded in 2023 c) A $300,000 grant for pancreatic research will be announced in April of 2024
Photo: Elizabeth presents the award to Dr. Yu at Swim Across America—Rhode Island
Background: Swim Across America is celebrating 35 years of impact this year in our public service message with Clear Channel Outdoor in Times Square. We highlighted some of the incredible milestones we’ve achieved as an organization thanks to the tireless efforts of our swimmers, volunteers and donors. You can read more about our history at swimacrossamerica.org/35. Thank you for #MakingWavesToFightCancer with us. And if you are inspired to help others, find a charity swim near you at swimacrossamerica.org. Thanks to the Clear Channel Outdoor team for supporting the Swim Across America mission on the largest scale! You can read about more about the partnership here.
Times Square Details: The 30 second ad is running for 3 weeks in July. The two screens stand 100 feet tall combined – 55′ H x 31′ W and 44′ H x 44′ W and the location was adjacent to Duffy Square and the TKTS on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets.
Jay Peluso Swim Across America – Richmond 5 years with Swim Across America Age 50; Raised over $130,000 with SAA-Richmond as Event Director
“The folks at Swim Across America were amazing. They helped us so much I can’t even explain it.”
Before joining Swim Across America’s Richmond swim, Jay Peluso used to own an event company called Peluso Open Water that produced open water swimming events and SwimRun events. Jay has always loved swimming. But in his previous life, he was an attorney. He had left the practice of law to focus on his new company after one of his law office partners had gone through cancer treatments. Jay decided he was going to turn one of his events into a Swim Across America fundraising event, in honor of his colleague who had been impacted by cancer. Jay reached out to Rob Butcher, Swim Across America’s CEO, whom he had known through his days at the U.S. Masters Swimming organization, and the first-ever Swim Across America Richmond event was hosted in 2018! Fast forward through the pandemic and Jay’s life changed dramatically.
“I went back to practicing law, and let’s just say, the event world had taken a major hit from the pandemic,” said Jay. “I told Rob Butcher and the Swim Across America team that I just couldn’t run the 2022 event.”
A few months after Jay had made his decision to return to the practice of law, he got a life-changing call from his sister, Michele. “I have cancer,” said Michele on the other line. Jay felt lost and didn’t know what to do, so he reached out to Rob Butcher for advice and direction.
“The folks at Swim Across America were amazing. They helped us so much I can’t even explain it,” said Jay. With advice from the Swim Across America medical advisors, Michele is now being treated for ovarian cancer at Rhode Island Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, which is the Swim Across America Rhode Island beneficiary, and also being seen by a team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, the Swim Across America Boston beneficiary.
“I felt such gratitude,” said Jay. “One night my girlfriend Wynne and I stayed up late talking about how thankful we were for everyone at Swim Across America. I won’t lie, a few tears were shed and we both decided that we HAD to be sure the Swim Across America Richmond event happened. So we shared our story and are back in full force with an August 27 event date and a large team of volunteers. Michele is undergoing her third round of treatment and as Rob likes to say, ’THERE IS HOPE.’”
Swim Across America is celebrating 35 years of impact in 2022. SAA has raised $100 million since its inception in 1987 to support cancer research and clinical trials across the U.S. Please contact Jeni Howard at jhoward@jhowardpr.com for media inquiries.
Swim Across America 