The 30th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla attracts a record 421swimmers and raises an estimated $225,000; swimmer Shawn McNulty, with daughter Nicole, is top fundraiser at $35,215; Provincetown Harbormaster’s Office honored; surprise marriage proposal accepted.

PROVINCETOWN, MA. With hurricane Irma looming on everyone’s mind, the 30th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla welcomed a record 421 swimmers to the seasonally warm waters of Provincetown Harbor with a light northeast breeze and sunny blue skies. This post-Labor Day community celebration and fundraiser generated an estimated $225,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community, with critical support from 150 volunteers. Swimmers hailed from as far away as London, Amsterdam and Quebec.Swimmer Shawn McNulty of Provincetown, along with his daughter Nicole, raised a record $37.000.00 in pledges from 350 individual donors.The weekend event kicked off on Friday with the inspired Celebration of Life Concert at the UU Meeting House, produced by John Thomas.“This event highlights the importance and effectiveness of government and the community working together to assure the safety of its residents and visitors. We are grateful”, stated Jay Critchley, Director of the Provincetown Community Compact, sponsor of the event. He remarked before the Swim, “The oceans have no borders. We will be thinking of our brothers and sisters devastated by hurricanes as we swim across the harbor.”Assistance on the harbor was provided by the Provincetown Rescue Squad, US Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster and the Cape Cod National Seashore, along with the Center for Coastal Studies and 75 kayakers and power boats.The Swim for Life, headquartered at the Boatslip Beach Club, included the Mermaid Brunch, catered by Far Land Provisions, with entertainment by Zoe Lewis, followed by the awards ceremony. Rex McKinsey and Luis Ribas of the Provincetown Harbormaster’s Office were honored with the David Asher Volunteer Award for their years of critical Swim support and their volunteer contributions to the community. James Cote of Brooklyn surprised his boyfriend, Keith Atchison, with a public marriage proposal, which he accepted, to the delight of the crowd.The Wellesley High School swim team presented their rousing cheers at the Boatslip and at the Swim start at Long Point. Handcrafted medallions by Christie Andresen of Taqwa Glassworks were awarded to swimmers who have swum ten times or raised $10,000 in pledges. Circle of Honor recipients include: Christopher Flynn of Boston and Reenie Desabrais of Chicopee, MA.Seventy-two swimmers and kayakers raised over one thousand dollars each in pledges and joined the $1,000 Club, receiving prizes from local businesses totaling $10,000 in value. Following McNulty, other top fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA, $17,142; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown, $10,001; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL, $7,198; John MacClaren, Walpole, NH, $6,123; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $5,904; Team Chris Nagle, Eastham, $5,000; and top kayaker fundraiser, Maureen Desabrais of Chicopee at $3,000.Although not a race, times are recorded for personal best. The fastest male swimmer was Justin Burkhardt of Cape Elizabeth, ME at 28:40. Top female finisher, at two seconds behind Burkhardt, is Kristen Read of Arundel, ME at 28.42. The oldest female swimmer was Joan Nagle, 83, of Eastham, and the oldest male was Robert Callender, 74, of Tiburon, CA. Abby Walker was the youngest swimmer at nine years old, swimming the distance in a “Satellite Swim” in a pool over the summer.Swim for Life business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank (lead sponsor); Provincetown Banner (media sponsor), and the Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Crown & Anchor, Harbor Hotel, Berta Walker Gallery, Mussel Beach Health Club, Cape Air, Bay State Cruise, Art’s Dune Tours, ProTools and Seashore Point.Special thanks to Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, Mosquito Story Slam, DFlax, WOMR FM, Dunes Radio, Kathryn Rafter and Francey Beall, Allan MacKinnon, Provincetown Aquasports, the Funk Bus and Mayflower Trolley, Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing, John Salvador, Schooner Hindu, Flyer’s Boat Rentals and numerous volunteer boaters.The fundraiser builds community and provides year round funding and support for social services, youth and educational organizations that include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and Helping Our Women, primary beneficiaries; and Outer Cape Health Services, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Accessible Provincetown, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Schools, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.The 31^st Provincetown Swim for Life is set for September 8, 2018.For more information: www.swim4life.org  www.thecompact.org

Swim for Life Celebrates 30th anniversary September 9, 2017

Year one: September 9, 1988. There was an offshore breeze, the water was unusually cold, but eighteen swimmers showed up with just ten days notice. $6,000 was raised for the Provincetown Positive People with AIDS Coalition. The swimmers sang, “Row, row, row your boat” and took the plunge to the sound of bagpipes. When they reached Long Point there was no plan to bring them back to the Boatslip beach. Rides were hitched from passing boats.Thirty years later the event attracts 400 swimmers, 150 kayakers, boaters and volunteers. Sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact, this year’s Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 9, 2017 at the Boatslip Beach Club and in magnificent Provincetown Harbor.The public is invited to greet the swimmers beginning at 11:00am. The Celebration of Life Concert, produced by John Thomas, will be held the evening before the Swim, and the Mermaid Brunch will follow the Swim on the Boatslip deck, open to the public and catered by Far Land Provisions. Zoe Lewis will provide the entertainment."This is a very special year for this Provincetown tradition - three decades of celebrating and supporting this spiral spit of sand we call home," states artist and director, Jay Critchley.The fundraiser builds community and provides year round funding and support for social services, youth and educational organizations that include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Accessible Provincetown, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Schools, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.This post-Labor-Day, 1.4-mile swim has raised over $4M for AIDS, women's health and the community since 1988. This year's Swim poster and t-shirt image features the dory of the late Eddie Ritter, the last historic dory in Provincetown. The photo is by Allan MacKinnon, with the design by Andrea Pluhar. T-shirts will be available at Seamen’s Bank downtown next week.For swimmers and kayakers, personal funding pages may be set up through the Swim website: www.swim4life.org. For those unable to attend the Swim this year, they might consider a Satellite Swim in a pool or another location.Business sponsors include: Provincetown Banner (media sponsor), Seamen’s Bank (lead sponsor), and the Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Crown & Anchor, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Berta Walker Gallery, Mussel Beach Health Club, Cape Air, Bay State Cruise, Art’s Dune Tours, and Seashore Point.Swimmers, kayakers, boaters, volunteers and friends of the Swim for Life may contact www.swim4life.org for registration, pledge sheets and volunteer opportunities.

Thirty Swims. Thirty Weeks. Swim for Life countdown to Sept 9

Since 1988 Provincetown Harbor has been activated by hundreds of swimmers, kayakers and safety boaters at the annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, raising over M. Thirty years later the event continues the mission of the Provincetown Community Compact* to nurture the well-being of Provincetown by supporting numerous community organizations, including AIDS and women’s health.Presidents’ weekend marks the thirty-week countdown to the event on September 9. From now until then, The Compact will highlight images and stories of swimmers and volunteers and organize special events with beneficiaries and other community organizations.“Provincetown is an American story. Its response to HIV/AIDS is a model of how local communities can overcome crisis when government turns its back.  As much as anything else, the Swim for Life is an event reminding us all of the power of love and compassion, and after 30 years, it's as strong as ever,” states Executive Director Jay Critchley.Swim for Life beneficiaries this year include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Accessible Provincetown, Cape Cod Children’s Place and the West End Racing Club.In 1993 the Swim quietly began to ask people to write names and messages on colored ribbons to honor loved ones, both living and deceased. To date there are 2800 Prayer Ribbons that are displayed at the Swim. Last fall The Compact was invited to show them at a ceremony in the Cannon Caucus Room at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. on World AIDS Day, December 1.The Compact also honored the 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shootings at a special ceremony at Town Hall Prayer Ribbons with a distinct strand of Prayer Ribbons Orlando. Each person’s name, which was inscribed in gold on a black ribbon, was read aloud. A 50th ribbon was inscribed for those injured. This strand traveled to Orlando and was shared with the families of the victims and them installed for a week in front of Orlando City Hall.For more information go to: www.swim4life.org and thecompact@comcast.net.* The Compact, sponsor of the 30th Swim for Life this year, will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2018. Its mission is to nurture the well being of the community, connecting people, place and enhancing the arts, the environment and the economy. Initiatives include the Think-ubator, which shepards grass roots projects and organizations through fiscal sponsorship and management, and the overseeing of two historic dune shack residencies in the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Swim for Life to honor Orlando victims

Provincetown Banner, June 30, 2016.  Organized to fight HIV/AIDS, rampant homophobia and an unresponsive government and medical system, the Swim for Life will honor the victims of the Orlando massacre at its September 10 fundraiser. The name of each victim, and those injured, will be inscribed on a colored ribbon and added to the 2,800 ribbons that honor both those who have died and those whom we love. Families, friends and allies around the world will also be remembered. The fight against AIDS gave birth to Prayer Ribbona and they speak to the whole community.

It was mostly gay men who were devastated in the early decade of the AIDS pandemic. But activist men and women fought and demanded action. We changed the way healthcare is delivered in the country. And Provincetown was at the forefront of this battle: caring for the sick and fighting for humane and non-discriminatory treatments.

At its inception, the Swim for Life chose to support the activist Provincetown People with AIDS (PWA) Coalition, which espoused self-empowerment and challenged the unresponsiveness of traditional healthcare. The AIDS Support Group was added as a beneficiary and then Helping Our Women. We presently support a holistic model of community health: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and Helping Our Women (primary beneficiaries); and, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Heath Services, The Compact Community Fund, Accessible Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.

The Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988.Lead business sponsor is Seamen’s Bank; media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery.For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge!