The Hotchkiss School to Hold Swimathon For Special Olympics

The Hotchkiss School of Lakeville will hold its annual Swimathon to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut and Special Olympics Slovakia on Saturday, September 7th. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, which was founded by Keith Moon who is a Hotchkiss instructor and swim coach and former Special Olympics Connecticut Board Member. During the event, Moon and students from the school will complete a two-mile roundtrip swim across Lake Wonoscoponuc. In honor of the milestone anniversary, guests at the swimathon will include coaches and athletes from Special Olympics Slovakia. The swim will take place at 3 p.m. and, to celebrate 30 years, a barbecue and party will follow, from 4:15 to 6 p.m. Spectators are encouraged to come out and cheer on the swimmers and welcome friends from Special Olympics Slovakia and all are invited to attend the post-swim celebration and barbecue. To find out more, RSVP for the barbecue or donate to support the swimmers, visit https://give.soct.org/swimathon email kmoon@hotchkiss.org or call 860-480-2618. The fundraising goal for this year's event is $30,000 for 30 years.

Since the inception of the Swimathon, The Hotchkiss School has been partnering with Special Olympics Connecticut to provide sports and health programs to local athletes of all abilities. Since 2022, money raised through the event has also been dedicated to supporting the Dream Day Center, a Special Olympics Slovakia initiative in Bratislava, Slovakia that serves Ukrainian refugee children born with intellectual disabilities who were displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
One hundred percent of proceeds from the Hotchkiss Swimathon will go to Special Olympics Connecticut and Special Olympics Slovakia. Guests from Special Olympics Slovakia expected to attend this year's Swimathon include coaches Martina Goglova, Veronika Sedlackova, Dominika Nestarcova, and Eva Gazova and athletes Darina Krihova, Andrej Petrik, Vanda Kracunova, and Peter Ispold.

About Special Olympics Connecticut
Special Olympics Connecticut provides year-round sports training and competitions for more than 12,000 athletes of all ages with intellectual disabilities and Unified Sports® partners - their teammates without disabilities. Through the joy of sport, the Special Olympics movement transforms lives and communities throughout the state and in 190 countries around the world by promoting good health and fitness and inspiring inclusion and respect for people of all abilities, on and off the playing field. (www.soct.org)

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