Looking for a Swim?

Swimming is a great way to cool oneself down. What's even better is when you can swim and do it for a good cause.

That opportunity comes Sept. 12 in the Hudson River Swim For Life. The event is a three-mile swim across the Hudson River from Nyack to Sleepy Hollow.

For those that don't want to swim three miles, there is also a one-mile swim across the shores of Sleepy Hollow from Philipse Manor Beach Club to Kingsland Point Park.

Swimmers of all ages will be swimming to help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

There is also an added benefit to those who register early. Participants who register by Aug. 20 will be entered into a raffle to win a 30-minute sports massage courtesy of Ren-Shen Healing in Tarrytown.

The three-mile swim is a non-competitive swim from Memorial Park in Nyack to Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow. Those that take part in this event will be required to raise pledges for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Those who take part in the one-mile swim in Sleepy Hollow will also be asked to raise pledges for the society.

For those that want to swim and raise pledges for the society, but are unable to participate in the event, there is no need to fear because you can still take part as well. One can swim laps in their own pool at their convenience and collect donations for the society that way.

Those who participate in this fashion will be set up with their own fundraising webpage and be provided with pledge forms.

Event organizers are also looking for people to man kayaks and canoes. Kayakers or canoers are essential to guiding and assisting those swimmers in the water for their own safety. This year's event is expected to need 150 kayakers.

The genesis for this worthwhile event started in 1991 when Tarrytown resident Dennis Chillemi conducted a one-man charity swim. Chillemi was inspired by Dr. Manuel Sanguily of Tarrytown who swam across the Hudson to raise awareness for asthmatic athletes for 14 straight years.

When Sanguily injured his shoulder in '91, Chillemi stepped in and did the swim alone. A year later, Chillemi continued the swim across the Hudson River which he dedicated to the Blythdale Children's Hospital in Valhalla.

Chillemi swam from Matthiessen Park in Irvington to Parelli Park in Piermont and back again in roughly two hours and 40 minutes. A week after that, he swam from the Tappan Zee Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, a total of 16 miles, in five and a half hours.

With an initial goal of raising $10,000 for the hospital, he raised $25, 000. Now the event has grown to the point where it had over 230 swimmers and 115 kayakers raising more than $200,000 in 2009.

For more information on how to participate in this event, visit hudsonriverswim.org.