Cayuga Lake (cayugalake.com)
Editor's Note: This article was written by Melissa Travis Dunham, manager of community relations for Hospicare & Palliative Care Services.
ITHACA, N.Y. - On Saturday, August 12, 2017 more than 300 women will swim across Cayuga Lake to raise $400,000 to support hospice services in Tompkins and Cortland counties. They will be escorted by 170 boaters and met on shore by hundreds of volunteers and well-wishers. This remarkable event is the 14th Annual Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare.
Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare is a community swim—not a race—to raise money in support of Hospicare & Palliative Care Services. The funds raised by swimmers (and some boaters) provides compassionate, expert care and support to anyone throughout Tompkins and Cortland counties who is dealing with terminal illness or grieving the loss of someone they love.
There is also a complementary component of Women Swimmin’—Women Swimmin’ Laps for Hospicare. Registration for Women Swimmin’ Laps for Hospicare opened in the middle of a winter storm on March 15 and continues through August 12. Nearly 30 women are swimming laps in pools around the area and across the country in support of Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare.
A Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare Press Kit is available online (and attached to this email) and will tell you all you need to know about Women Swimmin’ and WomenSwimmin’ Laps: the history, the purpose, the personal stories behind the swim and a link to a collection of photos. We’ve also compiled information about several swimmers who have agreed to be interviewed by the press, including their contact info so you can speak to them directly.
Hospicare & Palliative Care Services provides medical expertise, along with emotional, social, spiritual and practical support to people with life-threatening illnesses and their families. They also provide bereavement services for both hospice family members and others throughout Tompkins and Cortland counties. Hospicare provides care in people’s homes, area nursing homes, and in a six-bed residence on East King Road in the Town of Ithaca.
