Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Dozens of young swimmers from the Rockville Links Country Club gathered to take part in a Swim Across America charity swim, contributing to the national nonprofit’s mission of raising funds for cancer research and support.
The Rockville Links Club has participated in Swim Across America events for nearly two decades, according to program coordinator Regina Warren, who has coordinated the event at the Links since 2010.
At Rockville Links, the July 21 swim primarily involved members of the club’s undefeated swim team — which competes in the Long Island Swim League— but it was open to all members. Participants ranged in age from six to 17 and contributed by swimming as many laps as they could over the span of the two-hour morning event and collecting donations in order to take part in the swim.
“Some of them will swim 50 laps, some will swim 100,” Warren said, noting that the swimming challenge at the Links is more for fun and less structured than other events.
Head swim coach Jim Burns, who leads a team of 75 to 80 swimmers, noted that preparation for the event comes naturally through the team’s regular training.
“They’ve been swimming practices every day for the past month,” Burns said. “So, they’re pretty well prepared for this now to get in there and swim for an hour or half hour straight.”
Burns said the team raised approximately $1,859 this year, contributing to the more than $200,000 Rockville Links has raised over the years.
“Some years we’ve been above, some years we’ve been below. A lot depends on the size of our team,” he said. “We average, probably about $10,000 a year.”
Swim Across America is a national nonprofit organization that funds innovative cancer research, clinical trials, early detection, and patient support programs through community-based charity swims. The organization evolved from Run Across America, a cross-country fundraising effort in 1984 led by cancer survivor Jeff Keith and his two childhood friends Matt Vossler and Hugh Curran, which raised $1 million for the American Cancer Society.
The first charity swim was held in 1987 across Long Island Sound, raising $5,000 and featuring several Olympic swimmers. Following its early success, the organization was officially incorporated as Swim Across America in 1992.
Originally focused in the Northeast, Swim Across America has expanded to host charity swims in more than 20 communities nationwide.
Individual locations, like the Rockville Links, choose to get involved in their own ways, but other locations have bigger events.
“There’s a large swim on August 2, up on the North Shore,” Warren said, “and they swim out in the (Long Island) Sound, and that raises a lot of money.” The event will take place at Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove and has already raised over $687,000 this year.
“The funds raised by swim across America stay in the local New York area,” Warren added, emphasizing its local benefits.
The money raised by the Rockville Links and other participating groups goes to institutions including the Swim Across America Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Swim Across America Laboratory at Weill Cornell Cancer Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Feinstein Institute of North Shore, the University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital and SHARE Cancer Support, according to the Swim Across America website.
Swim Across America has granted nearly $100 million, helping advance treatments like immunotherapy and personalized medicine, and supporting a diverse pipeline of cancer researchers. Its grassroots approach continues to unite participants across the country in the fight against cancer.
To learn more about Swim Across America and how to get involved, visit SwimAcrossAmerica.org.
