In Sight

6/27/09

Kathleen O’Rourke/The Advocate

Swimmers enter the water at Greenwich Point for the start of the “3rd Annual Swim Across America” event to benefit the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy.   In 2008, the Greenwich / Stamford swim raised over $200,000 for the cause.  This year, according to the “Swim Across America” website,  an anonymous “angel” donor underwrote the costs of the event. Therefore, 100% of the money raised by the Greenwich / Stamford swim will go directly to ACGT.

I arrived early for this event anticipating a line of cars waiting to enter Greenwich Point.  But swimmers and spectators were brought by bus from the finish line so I was virtually the only person on the beach at 7:20am.  The buses arrived shortly thereafter and the beach was bombarded with swimmers in black wetsuits and bright yellow caps.  When the sun hit just right they looked like creatures from the black lagoon entering the water.   I lost count at 100 swimmers but as they pulled away from the beach the term “making waves” to fight cancer became a reality.