Swim for Life initiates the “Satellite Swim”

Satellites, and their planets, are in the news lately, and the Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is adding its own version. The recent breathtaking images of Pluto and its satellite, Charon, offer us an ancient, timely example for the Swim’s latest idea: the Satellite Swim. What if you want to swim but can’t make it to the event? What if you’re too young to swim but want to participate? You don’t want to keep circling and circling around the mother ship, like a moon, without dipping your feet in the water.Over the years, there have been a number of adventurers who have swum in parallel with the Swim for Life event. Tim Moran has swum about ten times, but two of those were in Miami Beach and one in Morocco in 2001. All were timed to the date and time of the Provincetown event. Jim Youngerman was planning his first Swim for Life in 2008 when his sister in law died the day before. So he dove into Laurel Lake in Lenox, MA, and swam the 1.4-mile equivalent of the Provincetown Harbor swim. He has traveled here every year since. And to top it off, last year Kim Oler from NY climbed the Rocky Mountains and raised enough in pledges to join the 00 Club.Last year we were inspired by six-year-old Abby Gametchu-Walker of Cambridge and Provincetown who wanted to participate but was too young. So she decided to take to a pool and swim 1.4 miles. She does most of her laps at the Provincetown Inn, which equals 45 laps! She raised 00. This year she’s back with her friend Zoe Galaburda, who said, “I love Ptown, I want to swim too.” She’ll also be swimming in Brookline and Maine, keeping close track of her distance. Jeff Walker, Abby’s dad, has set up a “Abby & Zoe page” on FirstGiving for donations.The Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, set for September 12, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org T-shirts, designed by Zehra Khan, are 100% organic cotton and are available at Seamen’s Bank downtown. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, Provincetown Banner, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Marc Jacobs, Crown & Anchor, Harbor Hotel and Mussel Beach Health Club.

Artist Zehra Khan designs 2015 Swim for Life Image

Exactly 100 years ago artists got tired of carving into separate wood blocks for each color in a design and began using one block with a groove between the colors. This simple, ingenious method became know as the Provincetown Print. The groove became a white line, thus, the “white line woodblock print”.The influence of this tradition lives on in Zehra Khan’s provocative image created for this year’s 28^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, set for September 12. The blue and orange watercolor and line drawing shows Provincetown Harbor with playful, repetitive waves outlined in hand drawn white lines. A mysterious figure emerges with an orange bathing cap. Is he reaching for the orange star, or catching it?Provincetown’s Centennial Decade, 2010 to 2020, celebrates the remarkable events of 1910-1920: the creation of the Provincetown Print, building of the Pilgrim Monument, the founding of the Art Association and Museum, the formation of the Provincetown Players and Eugene O’Neill’s debut.Zehra Khan is a multi-media artist living in Provincetown. When she's not drawing she may be making sculptures, costumes, masks, installations, performances or films.A Pakistani-American born in Indonesia, she grew up in France and Switzerland before moving to the United States for high school.  She received a Bachelors degree from Skidmore College and a MFA from the Mass College of Art & Design at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.Zehra is currently part of the NYC Drawing Center Viewing Program and the deCordova Museum’s Corporate Lending Program.  She has attended art residencies at Yaddo, the Vermont Studio Center, the Contemporary Artists Center, and most recently ArtLab at the Mountain Lake Biological Station through the University of Virginia. She was artist-in-residence for the Cape Cod National Seashore C-Scape Dune Shack in 2012.Zehra is represented by ArtSTRAND Gallery in Provincetown, and you can find her artwork online at www.zehrakhan.com The Swim for Life is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, Provincetown Banner, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach, Club, Marc Jacobs, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club.

Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla raises $200,000; 404 swimmers, 75+ kayakers, 150 volunteers participate

Warm but choppy water and a warm southwest wind greeted 404 swimmers, 75+ kayakers and safety boats and 150 volunteers on Saturday at the 27th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, which raised an estimated $200,000 for AIDS, women's health & the community. As a good omen, a pod of dolphins appeared in the harbor, east of Long Point, the start of the Swim. The Boatslip Resort, which has been hosting the event since 1989, received the David Asher Volunteer Award for their committment to the community.US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who sent a letter of support, wrote: " I wish I could be with you in Provincetown to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of the Swim for Life and its contributions to the Provincetown community. I'm glad to be able to participate in this small way to help commemorate your work improving the lives of Massachusetts families."The event is produced by the Provincetown Community Compact and organized by director Jay Critchley.Circle of Honor recipients, whoo have swum ten times or raised $ 10,000, and received a handcrafter medallion by Christie Andressen of Taqwa Glassworks, include: Carolyn Placke, Philadelphia, PA; Rhoda Grasberger, Ashland, MA; Jackie Palmer, Acton, MA; Michael Lynch, Dorchester, MA; and Chris Triebert, South Newfane, VT.Forty-one swimmers and kayakers raised over one thousand dollars each in pledges and joined the $ 1,000 Club and received prizes from local businesses totaling $ 10,000 in value. Top fundraisers include: Fred Youngerman, Lenox, MA at $ 12,012; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA, $ 6,420; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown, $ 6,100; Peter Mellett, North Truro, MA, $ 5,055; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, $ 5,000; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $ 4,775; Mark Bastian, Boston, $ 4,055; Jane Barber, Breckenridge, CO, $ 4,000; and Ed Moore, Boston, $ 3,385. Abby Walker, 5 years old, swam the 1.4 miles distance in a pool and joined the $ 1,000 Club, along with Kim Oler, who raised pledges for his Rocky Mountain climb.Although not a race, times are kept for swimmers. The fastest swimmer was Brian O'Connor from Washington, DC at 35:35. The fastest female was Katy McCully from Eastham, MA at 36:123. Swimmers hailed from across the country and from Bulgaria and Canada.All participants received a guest pass to the Provincetown Art Association & Museum, celebrating its Centennial, which offered a 1916 etching  by BJO Nordfeldt for this year's Swim design.Other weekend events included the exhuberant Celebration of Life Concert the night before the Swim at the UU Meeting House, produced by John Thomas, and, the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck following the Swim, catered by Far land Provisions. Zoe Lewis provided entertainment, and the awards ceremony was assisted by Mary Jo Avellar, Town Moderator, and Tom Donegan, Chair of the Board of Selectmen. The 2015, 27th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 12, 2014.Special thanks goes to volunteer crews from Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services and Far Land Provisions, Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore lifeguards and support from Provincetown Rescue Squad, US Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster, Funk Bus, Ptown Trolley, Provincetown TV, transport boats Tracey Rose, Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing and Dream Catcher, along with Flyer's Boat rentals.Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Youth Art Reach at Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund and Provincetown Rescue Squad.Business sponsors include: Lead Sponsor, Seamen's Bank, Media Sponsor, Provincetown Banner, Fanizzi's Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Resort, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery, Shawn Nightingale Productions and Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S., with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.

Boatslip to receive the David Asher Volunteer Award at Swim for Life, Sat 1pm

 Terry McCumber, general manager, and Marion Sharp, majority owner of the Boatslip. For full schedule: www.swim4life.org                

From a pool to a mountaintop

She’s five years old and she’s doing the Swim for Life - in a pool. He’s turning 60 and he’s climbing the Rockies for the Swim for Life. While neither will test their abilities in the waters of Provincetown Harbor on September 6, for both, this post-Labor Day tradition has been an inspiration.Abby’s dad, Jeff Walker, has done the Swim and he inspired her to do it herself. However, she is only five years old and doesn’t know how to swim. So she learned last winter in Cambridge and invented her own Swim for Life - 91 laps in a pool, the equivalent of the 1.4 miles across the harbor. Spending most of the summer here, she continues her laps in pools at the Provincetown Inn and Harbor Hotel, swimming well beyond her goal. And she is now adding donations above her 00 pledge goal as well.Kim Oler (my brother-in-law), who has participated in several Swim fundraisers, was invited by college friends to hike the Rocky Mountains on the 80-mile Colorado Trail, up to 14,000 feet. So he began training for the high-altitude climb by traipsing through his Long Island neighborhood and mowing his lawn carrying a 40-pound backpack. He decided to make his heroic effort a benefit for the Swim for Life and has raised over 00 in pledges from family and friends.All are welcome to join us for the 27^th annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla on September 6, 2014, a benefit for AIDS, women’s health & the community. Info and videos at: www.swim4life.org. Swim t-shirts are available at Seamen’s Bank, downtown, Venture Athletics and the Art Association & Museum. Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Provincetown Schools, Youth Art Reach at Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Heath Services, The Compact Community Fund and Provincetown Rescue Squad.Business Sponsors this year include: Lead sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media sponsor, Provincetown Banner, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Resort, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery, Shawn Nightingale Productions and Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S., with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board. 

Swim celebrates the town's art & culture

Provincetown is a crossroads, luring people from across the planet to this spiral spit of sand. From the Portuguese in the 1800s to the artists who flocked to New York and here after WWI, it is a fertile place. During a decade a century ago, 1910-1920 - the “Centennial Decade” - Provincetown became the national epicenter of cultural transformation.Framed by the dedication of the Pilgrim Monument in 1910 and the 300^th anniversary of the First Landing of the Pilgrims in Provincetown Harbor in 1920, was the founding of the Provincetown Art Association & Museum (PAAM) in 1914 and the birth of modern American Theater in 1915. The Provincetown Players included Eugene O’Neill, Neith Boyce, Susan Glaspell and John Reed, a communist journalist who wrote the famous account of the Russian Revolution, “Ten Days That Shook the World”. This was the Progressive Era sweeping the country.One of the artists who lived here during this dynamic time included painter and printmaker Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, a Swede whose family moved to the US in 1892, and also a founder of the Provincetown Players. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and lived in Paris, London and Taos, New Mexico. During his three years here - 1914-17 - he discovered a new way to print color woodblocks from a single block of wood, introducing the innovative white-line block printing method now called the Provincetown Print.BJO Nordfeldt’s delicate etching from PAAM’s collection for the Swim, “Boats on Shore”, 1916, shows a family on the shoreline with two of the many wharves in Provincetown Harbor, and the sand dunes in the distance. The boats are being repaired, the children are at play. One hundred years later the Swim for Life connects this legacy of art, environment, industry and community. The waterfront is our identity.Join us for the 27^th annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla on September 6, 2014, a benefit for AIDS, women’s health & the community. Please contact: www.swim4life.org.Business Sponsors this year include: Lead sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media sponsor, Provincetown Banner, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Resort, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery, Shawn Nightingale Productions and Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S., with support from the Provincetown Tourism Fund.

Swim survey response highlights community

Over the cold, snowy winter we poured over the results of the questionnaire we sent to swimmers and kayakers from the 2013 event and found some great suggestions and heartwarming responses like the one above. The long passionate 26-year history of the Swim for Life has created a unique tradition that supports our year round community. Past surveys have focused on the quality of the experience and water safety, this one also included questions about fundraising and the Swim’s economic impact on the town.“I don't need to decide to do the swim. I already have. I will do the swim every year. It is a very important day for our family. I swim in memory of my oldest friend who I spent many happy vacations with in town. I Love, love, love that this is a fundraiser. I feel so happy to hit my friends up for money to aid people in this most beloved place.”From swimmers we received an admirable 15% return rate (156 of 1,000), from kayakers, 27% return (27 of 102). The most surprising result was the response to the question: Is the Swim primarily a fundraiser or a community/memorial/athletic/other event? Of course, some would see it as all of the above, but when asked to choose, 73% of swimmers saw it primarily as a community event, while 52% of kayakers saw it as a fundraiser.1997 Swim, Donna Flax. While swimmers raise the majority of pledges, it is significant that they see the event in the broader context of the community, which reflects the mission of the Swim’s sponsor, the Provincetown Community Compact (The Compact), whose mission is to support the health and well being of the community. Kayakers recognize the importance of their role on the water in support of swimmers. Most significant in terms of economic impact, the average off-Cape swimmer and kayaker (75% of participants) stays 3.4 nights in a hotel or B+B and brings along 4 people with them; a large number stay 1-2 weeks, and some bring dozens of friends with them. This, along with the $200,000 in pledges collected by swimmers and kayakers (75% from off-Cape) creates a huge economic impact in the town."It is a great fund raiser for several important causes, the whole community is involved...they know what I'm talking about when I bring it up, and have pride in it."Join us for the 27^th annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla on September 6, 2014, a benefit for AIDS, women’s health & the community. Please contact: www.swim4life.org. Swim t-shirts are available at Seamen’s Bank, downtown, Venture Athletics and the Art Association & Museum.Business Sponsors this year include: Lead sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media sponsor, Provincetown Banner, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Resort, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery, Shawn Nightingale Productions and Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S., and support from the Provincetown Tourism Fund.

2014 Swim poster by BJO Nordfeldt (1916)

Swim for Life celebrates the town’s art and culture.Download + print poster.Provincetown is a crossroads, luring people from across the planet to this spiral spit of sand. From the Portuguese in the 1800s to the artists who flocked to New York and here after WWI, it is a fertile place. During a decade a century ago, 1910-1920 - the “Centennial Decade” - Provincetown became the national epicenter of cultural transformation.Framed by the dedication of the Pilgrim Monument in 1910 and the 300^th anniversary of the First Landing of the Pilgrims in Provincetown Harbor in 1920, was the founding of the Provincetown Art Association & Museum (PAAM) in 1914 and the birth of modern American Theater in 1915. The Provincetown Players included Eugene O’Neill, Neith Boyce, Susan Glaspell and John Reed, a communist journalist who wrote the famous account of the Russian Revolution, “Ten Days That Shook the World”. This was the Progressive Era sweeping the country.One of the artists who lived here during this dynamic time included painter and printmaker Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, a Swede whose family moved to the US in 1892, and also a founder of the Provincetown Players. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and lived in Paris, London and Taos, New Mexico. During his three years here - 1914-17 - he discovered a new way to print color woodblocks from a single block of wood, introducing the innovative white-line block printing method now called the Provincetown Print.BJO Nordfeldt’s delicate etching from PAAM’s collection for the Swim, “Boats on Shore”, 1916, shows a family on the shoreline with two of the many wharves in Provincetown Harbor, and the sand dunes in the distance. The boats are being repaired, the children are at play. One hundred years later the Swim for Life connects this legacy of art, environment, industry and community. The waterfront is our identity.Join us for the 27^th annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla on September 6, 2014, a benefit for AIDS, women’s health & the community. Please contact: www.swim4life.org.Business Sponsors this year include: Lead sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media sponsor, Provincetown Banner, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Resort, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery, Shawn Nightingale Productions and Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S.

27th Swim for Life set for Sept 6, 2014

Please join the hundreds of swimmers, friends and paddlers from across the United States who consider Provincetown, Massachusetts their spiritual home, and return to participate in the annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, Sept 6, 2014.This fundraiser of the Provincetown Community Compact supports vital year round services for AIDS, women's health and the community. Come share with us the special relationships we have established and the community we have created through the healing waters of Provincetown Harbor.Thanks to those who are challenging themselves and joining us for the first time, and those who return year after year, bringing along family and friends.The community is grateful2014 Swim design: BJO Nordfelt, etching, 1916, in commemoration of the Centennial of the Provincetown Art Assn & Museum

Wellesley High School Swim Team Lauded

Wellesley High School Swim Team has energized the Swim for Life for a decade and receives deserved recognition. Their cheers are emblamatic of the high energy at the event. Thanks you!!  

Sunny Skies Greet 394 Swimmers at Provincetown Swim for Life

Under sunny skies and warm, choppy water last Saturday, 394 swimmers crossed the 1.4 mile Provincetown Harbor at the 26th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla. With about 100 kayaks and safety boats out in the water, all swimmers made it safely to the Boatslip beach where the Swim medical team, Provincetown Rescue Squad and hundreds of cheering people greeted them.Organizer Jay Critchley of the Provincetown Community Compact estimates 0,000 was raised for AIDS, women's health and the community. Team McNulty, with Shawn and Nicole McNulty and others, raised over ,000 in pledges for their tenth swim. They were inducted into the Circle of Honor with other swimmers who have swum ten times or raised ,000.  Other top fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox MA, ,260; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA, ,300; Ed Moore, Boston, MA, ,755; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, ,620; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, ,615; Mark Bastian, Boston, ,000; and Jane Barber, Breckenridge, CO, ,500.Swimmers hailed from across the country as well as from Spain and UK. Town Manager Sharon Lynn and Board of Selectmen Chair Austin Knight presided over the awards ceremony.The Mermaid Brunch, catered by Far Land Provisions, followed the Swim,with entertainment by Zoe Lewis. Susan Roderick of Truro was awarded the David Asher Volunteer Award for her decades of service to the community. The oldest swimmers were: Arthur Figur, 82, NY and Elizabeth Minifie, 71, Newport, RI. Youngest swimmers were: Gabriella Martinez, 11, Belchertown, MA and Kyle Martin, 12, Dedham, MA.Other teams that swam included: Team Adrian's, Yoga East/Provincetown Aqua Sports, Team Flipper, Moving Violations Motorcycle Club/Native Cape Cod Seafood, Wellesley High School swim team and Team Provincetown IB School.  Katie McCully, who organized Team Fitzy's Mermaids, was top female finisher at 33:20. Top male finisher was Craig Milan of Miami and Truro at 31:20.Additional Circle of Honor inductees, who were awarded a handcrafted glass medallion from Taqwa Glassworks, include: Caitlyn Dionne, Provincetown; Max Richter, San Diego and Arthur Richter, Barrington, RI and Provincetown; Larry K. Smith, W. New York, NJ; Henry Faaland, Hull, MA; Helen Ederer, Vero Beach, CA; Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA; Katie McCully, Eastham, MA; Jack Miller, Kingston, MA; Carla Kaplan, Wellfleet, MA; Rebecca Wagner and Olga Bravo, Pawtucket, RI; Peter Betit, Boston; Richard Friedman, NYC; Jim Christioni, Needham, MA; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA; Kenny Golding, Brooklyn, NY; Herve Hamon, Norwalk, CT; Mark Yates, Somerville, MA; Ro Pannessi, Watertown, MA; Martin Rook, NYC; Bill Klessens, Salem, MA; Tim Halke, S. Portland, ME; and Sherry Jefferson, Washington, PA.John Thomas, who produced a rousing 20^th Celebration of Life Concert the night before, became an honorary member of the Circle of Honor.Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund. Prizes for top fundraisers topped $10,000 in value from local businesses.The organizers wish to thank the large contingent of volunteers and the US Coast Guard, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wendelin Glatzel for his compelling design, Provincetown Harbormaster, Ptown Trolley, Cee Jay, Funk Bus, Flyer’s Boat Rentals, Arthur Richter, Jan Kelly, Mike Pelletier, Brandon Cyzoski, Leo Rose, Ian Miller, Jon Salvador and Russ Zawaduk.The 27^th event will be held September 6, 2014. www.swim4life.org

"I'm not square dancing anymore!" Susan Roderick receives 2013 Volunteer Award

“I’m not square dancing anymore,” she told her parents. “It’s too square.” So began 16-year-old Susan Roderick’s life journey – an independent woman on a mission. Although she rode horses and enjoyed the now seemingly other-worldly family jaunts to square dancing weekends around New England with her dance-teaching mother, also an artist, and her step father, the jeweler, it was time for the break. Being raised on the water in Tiverton, Rhode Island, she took to the sea with her own sailboat, hand firm on the tiller.Her calling was community-based care giving, first as a University of Rhode Island nursing graduate and then breezing through two nurse practicioner degrees at Northeastern University in Boston. Under Dr. Frank Zampiello’s preceptorship she received her pediatric and family nurse practioner degrees by 1980 and began working at Outer Cape Health Services in 1979 — formerly known as Health Associates of Provincetown (HAPI). Previously she had workd at AIM in Wellfleet from 1972 to 1977. For 34 years she has been with the newly-expanded community health center, at first focusing on children and women, but now providing primary care services for patients across the spectrum.A typical day for Susan begins with a four-mile power walk to Long Nook Beach from her Truro home, then to the Proincetown clinic where she emphsizes preventive health care and self management for her patients, with issues ranging from smoking to diabetis, obeisity to depression. After an intense day at the clinic she might head to a Zomba class, a Truro bicycle committee meeting or a meeting at Helping Our Women, where she has been president of the board since 2001. On weekends she kayaks and enjoys her childhood love of sailing.Susan is being honored at the Swim for Life this Saturday with the David Asher Volunteer Award. Her accomplishments are lengendary. She sat on the Truro and Provincetown/truro School Committees for thirteen year, many as chair, and was selected Massachusetts Employee of the Year by the Community Health Centers. She joined HOW because she noticed how helpful it was for her clinic patients, so she then created a vision for this vital organization: bring this grass-roots entity into the 21^st Century without loosing its hands-on connection to the community. Under her leadership HOW established an endowment to sustain its services into the future and recently purchased spanking new offices at 34 Conwell Street. With longtime HOW Director Irene Rabinowitz retiring, the board is searching to fill the position.The 26^th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Boatslip Resort. Kayak registration begins at 8:30am, swimmer registration is from 9:00-10:00am. The Mermaid Brunch is open to the public and begins at noon, with entertainment with Zoe Lewis. An awards ceremony follows.On Friday, the day before, there are orientations, one at 1:00pm for swimmers and the other for kayakers at 2:00pm at the Boatslip beach — both are optional, mostly for new participants. The Celebration of Life Concert will take place at the UU Meeting House at 8:00pm, organized by John Thomas.  Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.For swimmer, kayaker and volunteer information contact thecompact@comcast.net or visit www.swim4life.org. Take the Plunge!

20th Celebration of Life Concert @ 26th Swim for Life

On every Friday after Labor Day since 1994, the historic and elegant sanctuary of Provincetown’s Unitarian Universalist Meeting House in the center of town (236 Commercial Street) has been the home of an event filled with music, celebration, life, memory, and joy. It is the annual CELEBRATION OF LIFE concert, free in every aspect of the word: free admission, free performances, free space, time and labor. It is Provincetown’s longest running free music festival. This year’s twentieth annual event begins on Friday, September 6 at 8pm.

Hundreds of local and visiting performers have shared their talents throughout the years. The Celebration of Life’s spirit is another expression of the legendary caregiving capacity that Provincetown’s people continue to express in their daily lives.This year’s performers include Jon Arterton, Peter Donnelly, Will Harrington, Billy Hough, Halcyone Hurst, Roxanne Layton, Zoë Lewis, Ken Lonergan, James Mack, Phoebe Otis, Elena Mancheva, Miss Richfield 1981, Sylvie Richard, Scarbie, John Thomas, Nedko Zdravkov Valchev, Janet Villas, West End Wendy Wendell and other surprises.The Celebration of Life concert is not a fund-raiser: it’s a FUN-raiser. Luminarias set along the path to the front door guide hundreds of Provincetown’s extended community into the sanctuary where aromas and music fill the space. At precisely 8 pm, hundreds of colorful prayer ribbons rise up until they arch from the top of the trompe l’oeil ceiling to begin another Celebration of Life.The Celebration of Life is presented in association with the annual Provincetown Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, which launches the next morning. The Celebration of Life is produced and hosted by John Thomas and co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Provincetown and Great Music on Sundays @5.

Swim Teams Unite for 26th Event

Swimmers come in all shapes, sizes and ages and so do swim teams. The Swim for Life, set for Saturday, September 7, has always welcomed and encouraged impromptu groups and established teams to participate — they bring a united enthusiasm to the event. But swimming itself is often a loner sport — moving through the water relying on one’s inner strength and physical stamina to make it from Long Point to the Boatslip Resort beach. Of course there are friendly kayakers along the way to give direction, support and maybe a respite, but swimming is basically a singular activity unless you’re with a team, or with a friend.The spirit of community at this event fosters team spirit and attracts established teams like the Wellesley High School swim team — their much anticipated call and response cheers, as well as LANES from Boston — marshalling over two dozen strapping swimmers. Often large gay contingents such as Chicago Smelts and The Fin’s Aquatics Club of Philadelphia participate in this weekend event.Often a group will quietly swim for a lost friend or someone very sick. Groups were recently formed for Jacqui Mac and Walter Greely, bringing together friends and family members, some swimming and others kayaking and cheerleading. Team McNulty, spearheaded by Shawn McNulty with his daughter, Nicole, is completing its tenth swim before taking a break from his legendary fundraising — collecting pledges from close to 200 individuals, often earning the team the top fundraising spot, last year at $18000. Although Adrian’s Restaurant has closed, Team Adrian’s will continue it tradition with over a half dozen swimmers and kayakers participating. Team Martinez from Belchertown, MA includes Eileen Martinez for her 18^th event, along with her twelve-year-old daughter, Gabriela, for her fourth. And putting aside their motorcycles for the water, the Moving Violations Motorcycle Club will collaborate with Native Cape Cod Seafood — organized by Boe Morgan and Andrew Morgan — collecting pledges and offering a special carbo load meal on Friday night at their restaurant’s Aquarium Mall location in Provincetown.Not to be outdone, Nauset High School swim coach Katie McCully, the fastest female swimmer many times over at the Swim, formed Fitzy’s Mermaids. She will be swimming with her sisters, Mary and Maura Sutherland and friend Cathy McDonough. Her father, Kevin “Mr. Swimming” Fitzgerald from Northampton, MA is being honored. Team IB Provincetown School, organized by Superintendent Beth Singer, celebrates their accreditation as the first school on Cape Cod bestowed with International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme certification. And exciting news for swimmers out on the water, Team Yoga East, organized by Jerry Anathan, with Bill Bond of  Provincetown Aqua Sports, will provide both stand-up paddleboard and kayak support. They are open to new members.The 26^th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Boatslip Resort. Kayak registration begins at 8:30am, swimmer registration is from 9:00-10:00am. The Mermaid Brunch is open to the public and begins at noon, with entertainment with Zoe Lewis. An awards ceremony follows.On Friday, the day before, there is a swimmer orientation at 1:00pm and a kayaker orientation at 2:00pm at the Boatslip beach — both are optional. The Celebration of Life Concert will take place at the UU Meeting House at 8:00pm, organized by John Thomas.  Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund. 

Kindness & Compassion

This was published in the Provincetown Banner, our Media Sponsor:By Irene Rabinowitz, Helping Our Women As we prepare for the 26^th Annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, we look back at the early days of the AIDS epidemic and the Swim for Life’s emotional beginning.  We can all be proud of the Swim’s tradition of caring and remembrance while celebrating the continued belief that our friends and neighbors are important, especially when coping with a serious illness. The Swim’s recent focus is not just HIV/AIDS, but women’s health, disease prevention and early intervention, and other services that make our community safer and healthier.Helping Our Women is celebrating our 20^th anniversary. Created as a response to the lack of resources for women living with serious illnesses, HOW has thrived in recent years in part because of the solid relationship with the Provincetown Community Compact (The Compact), sponsor of the event. Not only have we been the recipient of funding since 1996, but we now house the “Provincetown Community Compact Conference Room” in our new office. We move to a new fully accessible office last year that allows us to better serve the community.The spirit of the Swim is one that has a strong influence on a community-based organization like HOW.  We grew from the grass roots of community activism to an organization serving over 200 people a year, including our core constituency of women living with serious illness as well as men, families…anyone in need of an advocate and access to resources.  Our ability to provide financial assistance, transportation to medical appointments, sponsor support groups and respond quickly to community needs is only possible because of the generosity of so many.The people we serve have been diagnosed with cancer, AIDS/HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, respiratory diseases, mental illness and other conditions that make day-to-day life difficult. Living on the Lower Cape can be difficult if you are living with a serious illness and the funding from the Swim makes it possible for your local organizations to respond and provide assistance that lessens the burden. We see the hard work of those at the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services, Lower Cape Ambulance and the Rescue Squad as our partners in this effort, all funded by The Compact’s annual Swim for Life, which makes it possible for coordinated care.At this year’s Swim, we will see so many of our friends swimming, volunteering, pledging, and cheering. We are thankful for this kindness and compassion that keeps the Swim as a beacon of light for those who are need of the services of all of the beneficiaries.The 26^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for Saturday, September 7. Sponsors to date include: the Provincetown Banner, Boatslip Resort, Seamen’s Bank, Far Land Provisions, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Harbor Hotel, Marc Jacobs, Mussel Beach Health Club and the Crown & Anchor The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.The organic, 100% cotton 2013 t-shirts by Wendelin Glatzel are on sale at Seamen’s Bank, downtown.For swimmer, kayaker, volunteer and sponsorship information: www.swim4life.org, thecompact@comcast.org. The Provincetown Community Compact sponsors the event, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded by Jay Critchley in 1993 to enhance the well being of Provincetown and the Lower Cape.

Wendelin Glatzel: Taking Flight

A delicate insect with four translucent wings that hovers and darts in the summer air, and then vanishes. Not a bird, not a plane, but a Dragonfly. This seasonal icon - unlike the dreaded green fly, horse fly or the ubiquitous mosquito (which it feasts on) that imperil our outdoor adventures. - the Dragonfly appears mysteriously, observes its surroundings, flutters its wings like eyelashes and then vanishes.And why not celebrate this overlooked, seemingly innocuous insect thought artist Wendelin Glatzel when creating this year’s Swim for Life design - a creature with an unclear mission, unlike the heralded workhorse duties of the endangered honeybee. It reflects Wendelin’s mission to be inclusive.Raised in a strict Catholic family with four brothers and one sister in northern Germany near the Dutch border, Wendelin attended a Catholic monastery school - heavy in Greek and Latin and of course, soccer - before heading off to the art academy in Berlin. This was the early 1970s and post-war Germany was not exempt from the volatile changes going on across the globe, particularly the ant-Viet Nam war movement. Wendelin became a conscientious objector and did his civil service in a psychiatric hospital.A job at the premiere art fair Kassel creating video interviews with leading international artists expanded his understanding of art. With a government-funded grant he moved to the US and became a fellow at MIT’s experimental Center for Advanced Visual Studies under the direction of pioneer Otto Piene.In Boston Wendelin met his wife, artist and writer Kathe Izzo, with whom he had three daughters. Living in New York City, Wendelin started a construction business that took him around the country building commercial retail stores.His home is a private oasis in North Truro, an expansive wet-Spring-fed green lawn that slopes down from a modest two story house with porches and a deck that welcome you to sit and talk and listen to the birds, the ambling dog and operatic background music.“We are all trying to navigate a life of uncertainties,” the artist states. “They invite us to look at ourselves in new ways. It is a lifelong process.” In a chaotic world, painting is Wendelin’s constant, his guide, one that “follows no orders and trends, but instead, moves the brush to make the invisible world visible.”The 26^th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Boatslip Resort. The Celebration of Life Concert will take place the evening before at the UU Meeting House.  Beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism FundFor swimmer, kayak and volunteer information visit, www.swim4life.org.Take the Plunge!Wenedlin will be showing his paintings at Gallery Ehva on Aug 16-27, opening Aug 16, 6-8pm, 74 Shank Painter Rd, Provincetown

2013 Swim poster

Here is the poster for the 2013 Swim - art by Wendelin Glatzel. Please copy, print, resend, like.... Thanks, Stay cool!

26th Annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla Sept 7, 2013

Contact: Jay Critchley,      thecompact@comcast.net

 Provincetown Community Compact

The Provincetown Community Compact presents the

 26^th Annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla -

          September 7, 2013.

It’s been twenty-six years and $3M raised since the first Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla in 1988. From an intimate gathering of sixteen swimmers who raised $6,000 to last year’s 400 swimmers who raised over $200,000, this post-Labor Day fundraiser has become the quintessential Provincetown tradition. The popular weekend will feature the Swim on Saturday, September 7 at the Boatslip Resort, with the Celebration of Life Convert the night before at the UU Meeting House.

 - To view a short video of the event visit 

- For details, mailing list, updates and donations- Join and “Friend” the Swim on Facebook for updates and news: "Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life + Paddler Flotilla".Funds raised from swimmers across the country and beyond benefit: Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Academy at Provincetown Schools, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors to date include: Provincetown Banner, Far Land Provisions, Seamen’s Bank, Boatslip Resort, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, the Crown & Anchor and Mussel Beach Health Club.This year’s t-shirt design is created by Truro artist Wendelin Glatzel.The Provincetown Community Compact, sponsor of the event, was founded in 1993 by Jay Critchley to enhance the arts, environment and culture of the community. It also manages two dune shack residencies in the Cape Cod National Seashore and runs its innovative “Think-ubator” program. 

25th Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla

Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla celebrates its 25^th anniversary with a record-breaking event; 404 swimmers, 100+ boaters and 150 volunteers raise over $200,000 for AIDS, women’s health and the community; Joy Mc Nulty receives the David Asher Volunteer Award; Proclamations received from the Town of Provincetown and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts..PROVINCETOWN, MA. Celebrating its twenty-fifth year of fundraising for AIDS, women’s health and the community, the Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla had a record-breaking event last Saturday with 404 swimmers from as far away as Alaska, 100+ kayakers and boats on the water, and 150 volunteers. The oldest swimmer was Joan Nagel, 78, of Eastham, MA, and the youngest was Gabriella Martinez, 10, of Belchertown, MA. Over $200,000 was raised under breezy, sunny skies and choppy but warm water.The Celebration of Life Concert, the night before the Swim, produced by John Thomas, set a rousing and emotional tone for the weekend event, which benefits: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: the Provincetown Banner, Boatslip Resort, Far Land Provisions, Fanazzi’s Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, the Lobster Pot Restaurant, the Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.Top fundraisers, once again, were Shawn McNulty, with Provincetown’s Team McNulty members Kirby Nichols and Alex Bryant, raising $22,000, and Joshua Dieffenbacher of Brooklyn, NY at $17,000.The annual David Asher Volunteer Award was presented to Joy McNulty, owner of the Lobster Pot Restaurant and longtime Swim for Life volunteer and sponsor, as well as a board member of several community organizations. Other highlights were the presentation of resolutions to Jay Critchley, Director of the Swim for Life and the Provincetown Community Compact, from the Town of Provincetown and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts honoring the event on it 25^th anniversary and Critchley for his community leadership and his contributions as a multi-media artist.Special handcrafted medallions by Christie Andresen were awarded to new Circle of Honor members - those who have swum ten times or raised $10,000. Awardees include: Joshua Dieffenbacher, Brooklyn, NY; Jim Chiudioni, Needham, MA; Claire Levine, Arlington, MA; Georgia Neill, North Truro, MA; Mark Bastian, Boston, MA; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA; Harry Arnini, West Hartford, CT; Sheilagh Mulderig, Roslindale, MA; Katie Quish, Hartford, CT; and Walter Greeley, Hyannis, MA.Water safety and medical support were provided by the event’s medical team, headed by George Libone, and the Provincetown Rescue Squad, Provincetown Harbormaster, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Cape Cod National Seashore and the US Coast Guard, along with the 100+ kayakers and safety boaters.The fastest swimmers across the 1.4-mile harbor were Craig Milan of Miami and Truro, MA at 31.03, and Katie McCully of Eastham, MA with a time of 31.03.The 26^th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on September 7, 2013. For more information go to www.swim4life.org or email at thecompact@comcast.net.

Swim25: Joy McNulty Can’t Say No

 “I’m just a girl who can’t say no,” from the musical Oklahoma, could be Joy McNulty’s mantra - not to be confused with Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No. No. “Yes” is what she got when she moved here 40 years ago, and yes is what she says when the community comes beckoning.It was 1972, as a corrections officer in New York state, that she said no to the conditions that spawned the infamous Attica prison riots, and moved to Provincetown with her four children and her partner’s three. Stan Sorrentino heard she could cook and asked her to run the Port-O Call Restaurant at the Crown & Anchor. Arthur Blake, beloved impersonator, was maitre d’. When the Lobster Pot went up for sale, Pat Shultz declared, “You’ve got to buy it, it’s got the view.”Sitting in her inauspicious office above the restaurant entrance with staff and family coming in and out, Joy talks about her extended family, which includes many longtime employees from Jamaica, and the community.“No where else could I have done this,” she exclaims in her signature expressive enthusiasm, and she is grateful. The fruits of the economic engine she built benefit an unending list of individuals and organizations, throwing benefits for numerous groups and causes. She has rightfully earned the title of Treasurer Extraordinaire, handling finances on the boards of Helping Our Women. Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Provincetown Theater and the Gay Roundup, which she helped organize 25 years ago.Joy is a longtime supporter of the Swim for Life, both as a volunteer and business sponsor, and will be presented with the David Asher Volunteer Award at the 25^th Swim for Life this Saturday. The awards ceremony is set for 1:00pm on the Boatslip deck. Her son Shawn, organizer of Team McNulty and a consistent top fundraiser, will also be on deck after his ninth consecutive Swim.The Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla weekend schedule also includes the Celebration of Life Concert, produced by John Thomas, at the Meeting House on Friday at 8:00pm; the Swim, which begins at Long Point at 10:30am; the public is invited to greet the swimmers and kayakers at the Boatslip beach finish line from 11:00am to 1:00pm, and partake of the Mermaid Brunch, with entertainment by Zoe Lewis. All events are free and open to the public.Sponsors of the event include: the Provincetown Banner, Boatslip Resort, Far Land Provisions, Fanazzi’s Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.