Student-athletes from John Burroughs and Ladue are gearing up for the inaugural Swim to a Wish event in St. Louis, MO, a challenging relay where teams of five swim 50 miles over one weekend to fundraise for local wishes. The event starts Friday at 4:15 p.m. and continues non-stop, finishing on Saturday afternoon.

What began in 2013 as a deeply personal project in Wichita, KS for Campus High School swim coach Kelly Kennedy, has grown into a powerful community tradition. After Kennedy’s daughter received a wish during her battle with cancer, he launched Swim to a Wish as a way to give back to the organization that brought his family hope. Fourteen years later, the event has raised more than $333,000 to help grant wishes for local children across Missouri & Kansas.

“Seeing Swim to a Wish continue to grow is incredibly inspiring,” said CeCe Etter of Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas. “What began as one family’s way of giving back has become a powerful movement led by passionate students and educators who believe in the life-changing impact of a wish. We are thrilled to welcome John Burroughs and Ladue as they host their inaugural Swim to a Wish event this year. Their commitment and compassion are a beautiful reminder that when young people come together for a greater purpose, they can bring real hope, strength, and joy to children facing critical illnesses.”

The relay will begin on Friday, March 13 at 4:15 PM and will continue until the final team completes their 50 miles, which is expected to happen the afternoon of Saturday, March 14.

Participants will swim a 50-mile relay, with each leg of the relay being 1 mile long, and each swimmer swimming 10 times. The relay will continue throughout the weekend. Swimmers can receive flat donations, or they can get donations per mile.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Those interested in participating or donating to Swim to a Wish can contact CeCe Etter at cetter@mokan.wish.org or 314-278-6292. All donations go directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri & Kansas to help grant wishes to local children battling critical illnesses. To donate to the cause, please click the button below.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

What is “Swim to a Wish”?: In short, 5 swim team members get together and swim a 50-mile relay with each leg of the relay being 1 mile long, each swimmer swims 10 times. The relay is continuous throughout the weekend. Swimmers can receive flat donations, or they can get donations per mile.

History: In 2013, the Campus High School (Wichita, KS) boys swim team set out to host a charity fundraiser and partnered with the Make-A-Wish® Foundation. With a quick turnaround, the inaugural Swim to a Wish event raised more than $5,700. In 2014, the team was challenged by an anonymous donor to match contributions up to $6,000. The swimmers met the challenge, raising more than $12,000 for Make-A-Wish. To date, Swim to a Wish has raised more than $333,000 for our local Make-A-Wish chapter. Now, the event is coming to St. Louis for the first time—and with your support, it can continue to grow, granting even more life-changing wishes to local children battling critical illnesses.

How it works: Five swimmers will swim a 50-mile relay. Each leg of the relay is 71 lengths of a 25-yard pool. When the person in the water touches the wall on length 71, the next leg starts at the opposite end of the pool. The first 9 miles for each swimmer will be 71 lengths which are just a little over 1 mile. The last mile for each swimmer will be 59 lengths. There is always at least one swimmer in the water per team.