30th Annual Hotchkiss Swimathon

On Saturday, September 7, Hotchkiss will host its 30th annual Hotchkiss Swimathon to benefit Special Olympics.

This important milestone date will be shared with eight Slovakians–four coaches and four Special Olympics athletes–who are coming to America and Lakeville to do their part in helping us raise money for the Dream Day Center in Bratislava. This school, designed for Ukrainian refugee children displaced by the war with Russia and born with intellectual disabilities, opened on October 10, 2022, thanks in large measure to Special Olympics Connecticut and the Hotchkiss Swimathon.

The Swimathon began in 1994 in the old Hotchkiss pool and we are thrilled that we have kept it going for three decades. Nowadays, we swim in beautiful Lake Wononscopomuc to start off the school year: those of you who know Lakeville are well aware that there is no greater place to hold an event like this.

Special Olympics Connecticut is a magnificent organization that helps bring people from possible shadow lives into the limelight. The organization’s generosity in reaching out to a refugee population in serious need after Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in 2022 has inspired us at Hotchkiss to work even harder to support Special Olympics here in Connecticut as well as in central Europe.

The 30 year anniversary has led us to set a lofty goal: $30,000 in fundraising. Would you please consider sponsoring me or any of our swimmers? I have seeded the fund with a 10% gift of my own, which represents just $100 per year of the Swimathon. Would you consider matching my gift or perhaps some other amount that features the 30 years of what we’ve been doing (e.g., $1500, $900, $300, or $30)? 

 

100% of the money we raise will go to Special Olympics Connecticut and the Dream Day Center in Slovakia. 

 

Here is a link for donations. You may also send a check to Special Olympics Connecticut-Hotchkiss Swimathon to Keith Moon, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 06039.

All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law and deeply appreciated.

You are invited to be any part of the event that you would like. We are happy to accommodate more swimmers, and there is also room to join us on one of the boats going across the lake with us. In addition, all of you are invited to the barbecue celebration at the Hotchkiss boathouse after the swim.

We will enter the water at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7 from the Hotchkiss beach and the barbecue will start at 4:30 p.m.. (Please note that it is no longer possible to drive all the way down to the waterfront because of the town’s efforts to prevent hydrilla spread in the lake. If you are coming by car, please park at the top of Lake Road and walk down.)

If you’d like to know more about the history of the Swimathon, please listen to Main Street Moxie’s podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts.

Please join us on September 7 and meet our Slovakian friends, Eva, Martina, Veronika, Dominika, Peter, Darina, Vanda, and Andrej!