Residents Came Together To Raise Money At Swim-A-Thon

It might seem like forever, repeatedly going from one side of the pool to the other, but the commitment each year is a special one, and it draws the whole Lawrence Park Swim Club swimming team. They get a chance to come together for a singular cause and for a whole day.

On Friday afternoon, the Seventh Annual Swim-A-Thon for Alex's Lemonade Stand for childhood cancer began, and ended some time on Saturday afternoon, after the Lawrence Park Swim Team, made up of Marple Newtown and Haverford residents, swam a combined 100 miles.

The swimmers ranged in age from 6 to 18 and a mile meant 64 laps, which means 6,400 laps were swam. The swimmers included everyone from national-class competitors to tiny novices competing for the first time.

“This is a great weekend for our team,” said Lawrence Park coach Kathryn McKeone, a 2000 Haverford High graduate. “This is a social event as well as something that carries the importance of teaching the kids to think about other kids who may not be as fortunate as they are, and be able to do the things they are able to do. It’s not easy. The older kids go 32 to 64 laps at a time. It can be demanding.”

The star of the show was senior Shane Ryan, the two-time state champion. He was expected to do more miles than anyone.

“Because of who Shane is, he takes the lead role,” McKeone said. “The younger kids all look up to him. We’re also fortunate because this is great club, which is very inclusive and it’s everyone who comes together for this from all over the area.”

Ryan did 12 miles last year and was looking to do somewhere around 20 this year.

“This is for charity, which makes this important,” Ryan said. “We’ll sleep overnight here and I just need to swim smart. It’s something good to do, anything for charity is good.”

Kyla Lang, who swims with Ryan on the Haverford team, is also a member of the Lawrence Park Swim Team. She’s known children who have survived cancer, so Alex’s Lemonade Stand carries a special meaning to her.

“I’ve unfortunately known many people with cancer,” Lang said. “It’s why I’m very committed to this. We’ll be here all day and through the night, and since I work here, it is like I live here.”

Haverford’s department store plays a huge part in the event. The store committed five employees who swam in the event, plus arrived with a $500 donation. This marked the third year for Kohl supervisor Joe Barrett attended the Swim-A-Thon.

“Anything we can do for the kids,” said Barrett, a Havertown resident who is a 1980 Haverford High School graduate. “I’m going in and swimming a few laps myself. Me and the four others I’m with are committing a mile each. Kohl’s only does children’s charities and we always make sure we commit $500 to the event. We did three events this month. It’s the right thing to do.”

Liz Cassidy Bianco is the president of the swim team. She swam for Lawrence Park for 13 years, coached the team for eight years and has been part of the Swim-A-Thon since its inception. Bianco couldn’t physically participate with year because she’s nine months pregnant. But she did make sure she was there to encourage the kids that were swimming.

“I love it, it’s a great atmosphere, and this is the first day all the kids are together and they’re done school,” Bianco said. “The kids like it and it’s a great way to kick off the year.”

While the total money raised is not known yet, it is hoped to be between $3,000 and $4,000, which was raised in the past few years.