Rotary Club of Peterborough's 40th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swimathon Fundraiser Hitting Major Milestones

The 40th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim aimed to reach major milestones at the YMCA Central East Ontario pool to raise $50,000 for Easter Seals Ontario and Rotary Club of Peterborough projects on Friday morning.

Groups and individuals signed up to do swim lanes, catwalk and cannonball challenges to support Easter Seals and Rotary Projects. Hitting the fundraiser’s $50,000 goal would raise $1.5 million overall to mark its 40th anniversary.

“We've seen it for years and it just never seems to let up,” said Vanessa Oake Hogan, event organizer. “Everyone's really supportive of this event. I think it's a legacy event in our community and the Rotary Club works really hard to put it together. For me, it's really special that my father started it.

This is the second swim without event founder Carl Oake, as the family announced his passing in early January last year.

“It was a lot of effort he put in and I don't know if he ever did it for accolades but I think he'd be very proud,” explained Oake Hogan. “I love hearing his name and when you lose someone you love that's very important to you, it's great to keep them alive. You don't want people to forget him.”

@ptbo_canada The Rotary Club of Peterborough hosted it’s 40th Annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim in support of its projects and Easter Seals! #ptbocanada #journalism #fyp #news #fundraising ♬ Swear By It - Chris Alan Lee

Since its inception, the Swimathon has raised over $1.45 million for Easter Seals and Rotary Projects. Other recipients of the proceeds include literacy programs, various shelters (Brock Mission, Yes Shelter, and more), Breakfast for Kids, Camp Kawartha, Rotary Trail and more.

Over $7,500 of the $50,000 goal was already raised online at the publication of this article but more funds have yet to be accounted for with a final tally.

Donations can be made at any time online on the Rotary’s website.

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