Swimmers hit the pool 24/7 to raise money for Make-A-Wish

Swimmers with Campus, Newton, Derby, Great Bend and the Salina high schools will hit the pool Friday afternoon, and they won’t come out until their team has swum 100 miles.

The teams are swimming as a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Kansas, called Swim to a Wish.

“They’re there the whole time,” Campus High swim coach Kelly Kennedy said. “Our locker room turns into a little tent city. They bring cots and pads in there, blankets and sleeping bags, all kinds of things.”

Five team members from each school will swim as a relay team. Each will swim 71 pool lengths – one mile – before tagging in the next swimmer. The swimmers will swim continuously until everyone completes 20 turns, which will total 100 miles. They are expected to finish Sunday afternoon, Kennedy said.

This is the third year Campus has hosted the fundraiser, and the first time another school has opted to participate.

Each of the five high schools received a challenge grant to raise $5,000 for a child in or near its community. An anonymous donor will match up to $50,000 raised, Kennedy said.

Last year Campus raised slightly more than $6,000, which made for a $12,000 donation – enough to grant two wishes to sick children in the Haysville community.

“That was really the selling point for the other teams to participate,” Kennedy said. “They get the feeling that they’re doing something for their community. Each team gets to pick their child.”

To make a donation to any of the schools, visit www.crowdrise.com/SwimToAWish.

Campus and Derby high schools will be swimming at Campus starting at 3:45 p.m. Friday. Newton swimmers will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at Newton High, Great Bend swimmers will begin at 2 p.m. at Barton County Community College, and Salina South and Salina Central swimmers will begin at 3:45 p.m. at Salina South High School.

Kennedy said people are encouraged to come out and support the swimmers, even in the early hours of the morning.

“We lock the doors at midnight but still put a piece of paper with a phone number to call if you’re coming at that time,” Kennedy said. “Call us, and we’ll let you in the doors.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Swimmers hit the pool 24/7 to raise money for Make-A-Wish."