Swim Club Successfully Raises Funds for Cranford Family Care

Swimming 125 laps in about an hour and a half. Sound like a lot?

Well, that's what 10-year-old Eilidh Brady of Cranford did to raise money for Cranford Family Care, a non-profit that assists residents with strained incomes.

"They [Cranford Family Care] help everybody else. They help people get food, clothes and drink," Brady said. 

Brady was one participant of the swim-a-thon, an event recently sponsored by the Cranford Swim Club, which raised more than $700 for Cranford Family Care. The benefit was held from June 25-27.

About a dozen members of the Stingray swim team participated, including one mother who swam with her two young sons. Each lap that participants swam translated into donations for Cranford Family Care.

Although swim team member Emily Howlett is only 8 years old, she raised the most money - $340 for 15 laps, said Maureen Monroe, one of the parent organizers of the event.

Monroe, who's also Brady's mother, said the organization used to do a lot of fundraising, but that tradition waned in the past 10 years. She and parent Karen Hoover decided to take on the task of resurrecting that tradition.

"We decided it was a nice opportunity to get the kids involved and get some positive publicity for the pool," Monroe said.

Monroe said they picked Cranford Family Care to benefit from the swim-a-thon because it's a local organization that directly helps people in the township. Cranford Family Care is a non-profit that helps township families on a temporary basis with utility bills, rent or mortgage payments. Qualified families also receive food and other assistance.

"It's kind of that idea of helping out in your backyard," Monroe said.

Throughout the weekend, three lanes of the pool were sectioned off for those participating in the swim-a-thon.

"We all worked really hard together," Brady said.

Monroe said she's pleased with the amount of money the swim-a-thon was able to generate.

"I hope that this would be something to continue and to grow," Monroe said. She added that donations are still being accepted. Checks can be sent directly to Cranford Family Care, 61 Myrtle St, Cranford, NJ 07016. Donation checks should include the memo line,"CSC Swim-a-Thon."