Swim Across America participants raise funds for women’s cancer research

Providence College professor and breast cancer survivor Ann Kelley, surrounded here by PC swimmers, received treatment at Women & Infants’ Program in Women’s Oncology. / COURTESY MATTHEW HEALEY
Providence College professor and breast cancer survivor Ann Kelley, surrounded here by PC swimmers, received treatment at Women & Infants’ Program in Women’s Oncology. / COURTESY MATTHEW HEALEY

PROVIDENCE – More than 500 swimmers participated in the seventh annual Swim Across America fundraising swim at Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett earlier this month. Collectively, they raised more than $158,000 for cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital.
Funds from this and other fundraising initiatives are sent to Swim Across America, which then disburses them to health care providers such as Women & Infants, according to a hospital spokesperson.

“I feel very fortunate to have been part of the first swim in 2010, and to watch it grow into such an inspirational and compassionate event over these past seven years,” Dr. Paul Di Silvestro, interim director, Program in Women’s Oncology at Women & Infants Hospital, said in a statement.

“Our partnership with Swim Across America has resulted in major advancements in ovarian cancer research – funding that helps us to advance science and, more importantly, train young physician scientists and basic scientists for our future,” said Di Silvestro, who also leads research on women’s oncology at the hospital.

Swim Across America is a national nonprofit organization that organizes these annual swims around the country; it aims to raise both money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment. Swim Across America’s website indicates that benefit swims in 2015 generated $6.3 million; of that, $4.65 million was distributed in program grants.

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Several college swim teams – including from Providence College, University of Connecticut, Bryant University, Brown University, Roger Williams University, University of Rhode Island, Assumption College, Boston University and College of the Holy Cross – created one of the nation’s largest groups of college athletes in an open-water swim, Women & Infants reported. This year, Providence College was the top fundraising school, and Walker Hill, who raised $5,000, was the top individual fundraiser.

Amica, Dunkin’ Donuts, Go Swim, Swim Outlet, UnitedHealthcare, WJAR-TV NBC 10 and several Women & Infants Hospital entities were sponsors of the event.

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