First Relay Team has been Filled

Jeff donning his goggles ahead of his solo Catalina Channel swim September 2022

So, we appear to have our relay team completed along with a couple of alternates, this is truly a national affair as we touch both the East and West Coasts!!

We welcome Kelley S. and Joe C - sober swimmers from the San Diego area who Jeff met at the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation (CCSF) banquet last November.

Both Kelley and Joe have participated in solos and relays on this route in the past, and we look forward to their expertise in our inaugural event. As a matter of fact, on June 20, Kelley will be swimming 20 Bridges; a 28.5-mile (48.5-kilometer) swim around Manhattan Island.  She will be raising funds for the East Coast Maine Coon Rescue in her friend, Marie’s memory.

The dates for our swim are September 26-27 on Pacific Star and we would love to potentially recruit a "second team" using social media and our connections. Including swimmers in early recovery or even less seasoned in pool swimming/open water swimming would be beneficial. We believe this would generate the type of awareness to the mission and vision of iSwim4.

The “Catalina Channel Relay for Social Responsibility” is so named since one of the primary objectives of the iSwim4 Foundation is to demonstrate the positive impact that individuals in recovery can have on society at large. To paraphrase the message, it's about de-stigmatizing individuals/groups affected by Substance Use Disorder, because when we are "saved," many of us will go on to help "save the world."

To that end, we are being recognized as a unit/team under the iSwim4 banner, which is an advocacy for Recovery (https://www.iswim4.org/), and will secure corporate financing to help offset the expense of our endeavor. However, each of us are challenged with selecting a charitable cause that is important to us and raising funds for that individual cause. Whether it be cancer research, environmental/clean oceans, education, special needs, other diseases and other social causes - it is about showing that people in recovery go on to make a major impact on the world in ways beyond recovery.

Keep checking in as we will continue to determine whether to consider a two-team relay, a double crossing relay and how to recruit that second team.