Press Release: 2023 Catalina Channel Relay for Social Responsibility
THE 2023 Catalina Channel Relay for Social Responsibility
THE 2023 Catalina Channel Relay for Social Responsibility
*September is National Recovery Month!*
PHILADELPHIA, PA August 22 - On September 26-27, two remarkable relay teams from the Philadelphia and Southern California areas will swim together to shine light on what is possible in recovery from substance use disorder and simultaneously address some of the most urgent social issues facing our society.
The teams will swim from Catalina Island to the California mainland near Palos Verdes, swimming in tandem shifts of 1 hour each in this first-time-ever event. The iSwim4 Foundation is hosting the relay in hope of raising funds to battle substance abuse and help those in recovery stay sober through the physical and mental benefits of swimming.
Please join us in raising awareness and funds to fight the stigma of substance use disorder!
How it all started
In November of 2018 Wynnewood husband and father Jeff Rake had a life changing experience. His wife found him passed out in his car – drunk - when he was supposed to be taking his daughter’s field hockey gear to her practice. Years of alcohol abuse, sometimes which affected his ability to hold a job, was about to come to an end. After an ultimatum from his wife, Jeff sought inpatient treatment at Mirmont Treatment Center in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
That’s when his life turned around. Pulmonary sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that for 5 years affected his ability to breathe, started to clear up as he remained sober. Despite being broke and jobless Jeff was optimistic that things would get better. He decided to go back to his lifelong love of swimming, which stopped during his heavy drinking and lung disease. He started off slowly- and then by 2022, he was able to swim a 20.3 mile solo marathon from California’s Catalina Island. Seven hours of swimming in the dark of night, had him thinking about the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and his long struggle to recover from the depths of despair and substance use disorder.
That’s when he got the idea that he could help others in a similar situation. Jeff started the iSwim4 Foundation, a non-profit that raises funds for those struggling with substance use disorder and assisting them to remain sober through physical well-being, especially swimming.
“We teach the principles of goal setting and simply create a safe and friendly, active community.” Jeff adds, “we demonstrate what's possible in recovery to others who still struggle and to those in society that think we are simply a community of losers who have made bad decisions and now suffer the consequences.”
“We hope to instill a sense of purpose, community, goal-setting and physical well-being that will strengthen their sobriety even if they don't take to swimming for the long term.”
The focus of the fundraising is to involve both beginners and experienced swimmers alike into a regimen of physical well-being and to discover the joy of pool and open water swimming on both coasts. iSwim4 hopes to provide access to aquatic facilities, the safety personnel and coaching staff to properly engage our swimmers on this program.
And finally, the organization plans to highlight their value to society by giving back to myriad causes - not only recovery charities, but charities that advocate for the environment, animal welfare, healthcare & disease and more.
Social Handles:
Instagram: @iSwim4_Foundation
Facebook: iSwim4
LinkedIn: /company/iswim4-foundation
For more information on the event, organization, or to donate, go to iSwim4.org. Jeff Rake can be reached at directly at mailto:jeff@iswim4.org or (610) 212-3776
