By Amanda Moses
Approximately 2 million people will face the difficult news of being diagnosed with cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Often known as the big “C” since uttering the disease’s name brings about earth-shattering fear, research has found that with awareness and advocacy, about 30% to 50% of cancers can be treated with early detection and preventive measures.
In 2022, the Brooklyn Sports Club (BSC) felt the cold touch of cancer when their beloved employee Catherine Murray, affectionately known as Candy, passed away from the illness. Considering this, the BSC team decided to uplift Candy’s memory by advocating for a cure through a fund-raising program called Swim Across America.
Founded in 1987, Swim Across America is a nonprofit that hosts swimming events to raise money for cancer research and patient programs. On October 12th, the BSC coordinated an event with Swim Across America, which featured robust aquatics programming and raised a whopping $2,000 (surpassing its $1,500 goal).
“The BSC LOVES getting the community together for special events and even more so for a fundraiser that sponsors cancer research. Swim Across America was a total success, bringing vendors, the members, the team, and others from outside the community to participate in this occasion. Raising the funds that day is only secondary to the positive energy that was magnified,” BSC Director Arnie Gonzalez said.
In addition to helping fund cancer research, the event also addressed another issue found in underserved communities: which is the ability to swim. Through fun swimming lessons, people of all ages were invited to participate in the event.
“Swimming is also very important to us; not only did we collaborate with raising money and bringing awareness to the cause, but also the importance of learning to swim and not to be afraid. Swimming can be fun and is essential. The statistical rate of drowning is incredibly high; we, as the club, want to make a difference in saving lives by learning to swim and raising money for cancer research. We look forward to doing this again next year and future events like this,” BSC Events Director Nina Ramirez said.
All registrations and purchases made on October 12th went directly toward Swim Across America, which staff say experienced a great turnout.
Photo courtesy of BSC
