Sunny skies greet 28th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla; an estimated $200,000 raised for AIDS, women’s health & the community

PROVINCETOWN, MA. After two days of torrential rain and wind, the Provincetown annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla emerged on Saturday to clear blue skies, bright sunshine and warm and friendly water. In its 28^th year, this traditional, post-Labor Day event generated an estimated 0,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community with the support of 404 swimmers, 75+ kayakers and safety boats and 150 volunteers. Swimmers came from across the US, Canada, London and Bulgaria.

The Mystic makes a dramatic visit to Long Point for Swim start!

The event at the Boatslip Beach Club, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and organized by director Jay Critchley, honored two swimmers who have swum 25 times: Joe Stewart of Baltimore and Bill Silvestri of Boston. They were presented jackets imprinted with, The Compact Long Point Award 2015. The annual David Asher Volunteer Award was presented to Far Land Provisions, owned by Tom Boland and Jim Farley, for their community business and involvement and their long time catering of the post-Swim Mermaid Brunch. Jim has also swum fourteen times.Provincetown artist Zehra Khan created the 2015 Swim for Life design.Each year, handcrafted medallions by Christie Andressen of Taqua Glassworks are given to swimmers who have swum ten times or raised $10,000 in pledges. Circle of Honor recipients include: Michael Lynch, Boston; Chris Brenner, West Dennis; Chris Perry, and Peter Mellett, North Truro; Gail Greenwood, Waterford, CT; Jackie Palmer, Acton, MA; Linda Heard, and Janet Villas, Bloomfield, NJ; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL; and Nancy Civetta, Wellfleet, MA.Fifty-two 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 eight fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA at $ 13,482; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown, $8,501; Ed Moore, Boston, $6,800; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL, $6,915; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $5,450; Peter Mellett, North Truro, MA, $5,400; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, $5,125; Mark Bastian, Boston, $4,455.Abby Walker and Zoe Galaburda, seven years old, swam the 1.4 miles distance in a pool over the summer as a “Satellite Swim” and raised over $2,000. And Mark Kitteredge of Randolph, MA collected 14,500 bottles and cans and raised $747.50 for the Swim.Although not a race, times are recorded for personal best. The fastest male swimmer was Justin Burkhardt of Portland, ME at 28 minutes, 27 seconds. Top female finisher was Kristen Read of Kennebunk, ME at 29 minutes, 25 seconds.Other weekend events included the festive 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. Zoe Lewis provided entertainment. The awards ceremony was assisted Tom Donegan, Chair of the Board of Selectmen.Special thanks go to volunteer crews from Seamen’s Bank, Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services and Far Land Provisions who catered the event, Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore lifeguards and support from Provincetown Rescue Squad, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, US Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster, Mayflower Trolley, Ptown Trolley, Provincetown TV, Provincetown Aquasports, transport boats Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing, John Salvatore, Mystic, 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, Provincetown Rescue Squad and Accessible Provincetown.Event sponsors include: Lead Sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media Sponsor, Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.The 29th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 10, 2016.

Far Land Provisions receives Swim for Life Volunteer Award

The Red Rooster at Far Land Provisions is delightfully crowing this summer. Now in its twelfth year, with a second location at Herring Cove Beach, Far Land proprietors Jim Farley and Tom Boland have reached their goal of creating a nexus of the year round community. Witness the phenomenal response to their free Sunset Music on the Beach series at the bathhouse which attract 3-400 people per show. Their “more than a corner grocery store“ has been supporting the Swim for Life all those years, catering the free, post-Swim Mermaid Brunch at the Boatslip, open to the community, for 700+ swimmers, volunteers, kayakers and a crowd welcoming swimmers on shore. Not to mention that Jim has swum across the 1.4-mile distance 14 times since 1991.Far Land Provisions has been selected to receive the Swim for Life David Asher Volunteer Award, given to individuals, groups or businesses that have contributed to the Swim for Life and to the vitality of the community. It will be presented on September 12 at the awards ceremony following the Mermaid Brunch. Past recipients include: Boatslip Beach Club, Susan Roderick, Jim Rann, Steve Roderick, Donna Flax, Brian Cabral, Wayne Ryerson, George Libone, Jan Kelly, Joy McNulty, Ann Maguire, Madeline Miller, Raymond Johnson, Patrick Finn and the Provincetown Rescue Squad.Tom and Jim met in the Berkshires in the mid 1980s, and by the early 1990s they were partners and committed to living in Provincetown. Tom put his Masters in Historical Preservation to good use, collaborating with Ginny Binder at Binder Boland Associates, whose design work included the rebuilding of Whaler’s Wharf, and projects at Brass Key Guest House, Schoolhouse Center and Truro Town Hall. Jim worked with the Visiting Nurse Association as a Registered Nurse in the early 1990s and then went on to earn a Masters in Nursing to become a Nurse Practitioner, working at Outer Cape Health Services for five years. But they wanted bigger challenges and decided to open Far Land to support year round jobs and enhance the sense of community. They have sixteen year round employees, bumping up to forty plus in the summer.Besides being a longtime business sponsor of the Swim for Life, they also support the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, and Tom sits on the Provincetown Theater board and Jim on the Lower Cape Ambulance board. An example of their community spirit and compassion is the critical help they provided for a longtime employee from Kosovo who had life-threatening kidney failure. They facilitated his visits to the emergency room and a Boston hospital for surgery. They have set up a fund with YouCaring for his care.

Bill Silvestri, 25-year swimmer, receives The Compact Long Point Award

At its core, the Swim for Life, now in its 28^th year, is a community event that spreads its largesse to numerous non-profit organizations that help create a healthy and sustainable community.The event relies, in large part, on swimmers who have made the Swim a priority in their lives and return year after year. This year two swimmers will reach a milestone in their commitment to Provincetown, swimmers who have swum twenty-five times: Bill Silvestri, from Dorchester, and Joe Stewart, from Baltimore. They will be honored at the September 12 event at the Boatslip with the Long Point Award, presented by the Provincetown Community Compact.I asked Bill a few questions:- When did you start swimming?My parents taught me how to swim as a baby. Soon after, they would fight with me to get out of the water because my lips would be blue.I feel totally connected with life and nature every day I swim. It is hard to describe the different textures and palette of colors seen when you swim at different times day or night.- What do you like about swimming?I was smoking upwards of two packs of cigarettes a day and leading a rather sedentary life and realized I was headed for trouble. Soon after I quit I met Jim Doty, a legendary swimmer and one of the founders of NE Marathon Swimming. He asked me to join a relay team in the Boston Light Marathon Swim. His encouragement helped me to do something I never, ever thought possible. Then he suggested the Swim for Life.- What was your first Swim for Life like?  I was terrified, but it turned out to be one of the greatest thrills of my life. I just knew I would be back the following year.- Why do you do the Swim for Life?I have felt a connection with the Provincetown community ever since my first swim. I love the camaraderie and feel strongly about supporting the causes that receive funds from the swim. As a musician, I am a strong supporter of the arts and the Provincetown Community Compact's philanthropic efforts to preserve the special character that is Provincetown.  My late brother, Jim, absolutely loved joining me every year for the swim. It was our "brother weekend" away. The year the Tibetan monks were there was pivotal for him finding peace before he passed.Bill’s long-time partner, Somchai Darnsirichaiswad, will be completing his eleventh consecutive Swim this year.

25-year swimmer, Joe Stewart, receives The Compact Long Point Award

“I was inspired to organize and coordinate the Maryland Swim for Life – now in its 24^th year - by my first Provincetown Swim for Life.” So states legendary activist swimmer Joe Stewart of Baltimore, who has employed his love of swimming and the environment to organize a handful of open water swims in the Chesapeake Bay area. He and Bill Silvestri will be the first to complete twenty-five Swims for Life this year on September 12, but that’s only the beginning for him. Both swimmers will receive the Long Point Award from the Provincetown Community Compact, Swim sponsors.Photo: Bill & Joe.Chesapeake Bay is a complex, ecologically and economically important natural resource with 150 rivers and streams flowing into it. The northern Bay is Maryland territory where Joe has swum numerous times - from eight to thirteen miles – for AIDS and environmental causes. He organized the “For the River’s Sake” swim in 1993, which evolved into the ongoing “Potomac River Swim for the Environment”, the Eastern Shore Marathon Swim and the Patapsco River Swim, which focused on the urban watershed.I asked Joe a few questions:What do you like about swimming?I like the feeling of being “outside gravity”, the meditative Zen frame of mind that I can get when doing laps in a pool or out in open water and the mind-body-spirit exercise I get through swimming.\What was your first Swim for Life like?Inspiring and joyful.How has the Swim evolved/changed since your first swims?The number of participants has increased which has its own challenges and rewards. The celebratory spirit and sense of community has remained an integral ingredient to the Swim over time.It has become an annual ritual, which I look forward to and enjoy.What has kept you so passionate about it for so long?The sense of community, celebratory spirit and feeling of accomplishment, especially with other liked-minded people, keeps bringing me back. Perhaps I should state the obvious: Provincetown is a very special place - one of the most beautiful natural places there is - with a very sophisticated but small town charm.

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