In just 5 short swim seasons, the JCC Sharks have gone from a team of 15 to one with a current roster of over 180! Building team spirit with this much growth can be a big challenge for the leadership of any swim club. In August 2014, Aquatics Director Stephanie Kegelman and then-Swim Coach Phil Bafundo were looking for ways to connect all the swimmers together, members and non-members alike. The coaches wanted the swimmers to feel bonded beyond practices and meets. While tossing around different ideas, Coach Phil suggested swimming for charity – and thus, “Mitzvah Laps” was born!
The idea of kids helping kids was one of the primary criteria, and Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children was selected as the team’s first beneficiary. In November 2014, Stephanie hesitantly estimated that the Sharks could send a donation of $1,000 to Nemours. On the second and third nights of Chanukah 2014, our swimmers completed 4,311 laps and raised a total of $5,639, far exceeding expectations! 75% was donated to Nemours, and the other 25% went to support our incredible Swim Team.
The team’s success was attributable to 2 major factors: first and foremost, our wonderful team’s desire to help others; second, our parents having absolutely no idea how many laps their kids were capable of swimming! In that first year, one parent pledged $10/lap and was flabbergasted when his 5-year-old swam 25 laps in an hour. There were several tear-jerking moments during that first event where Stephanie and her coaches looked around at the churning water, noticing that the only noises to be heard were of splashing feet and stroking arms, and all they could think was, “this is amazing!” Some of the kids took breaks, and that was ok, but others literally never stopped swimming the entire time they were in the water.
One of the most powerful moments happened when a coach asked one of our 7-year-old swimmers what he was thinking about when he was swimming his astounding 56 laps. He replied, "I was thinking about the sick kids in the hospital." Hearts of GOLD!
In the first two years of Mitzvah Laps, our Sharks have accumulated over 10,000 laps and raised over $12,000 for Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children.
This Wednesday, December 21st, and Thursday, December 22nd, as part of the 3rd Annual Mitzvah Laps fundraiser, our 185 JCC Sharks hope to raise enough money to make a $5,000 donation to a new beneficiary, the Ronald McDonald House! If they reach this goal, our Sharks would qualify as “Adopt a Room” sponsors, and the team name would be added to a plaque at our local Ronald McDonald House. The room that our Sharks hope to adopt will be “home” to countless families in 2017 – our contribution will allow families to stay close by while their children are undergoing lifesaving treatments at Nemours and Christiana Hospitals.
Unlike her hesitation in 2014, Stephanie has little doubt this year that our Sharks, along with their many supporters, can meet their goal and support the growing team’s needs: “A totally attainable figure considering our success in previous years!”
To help our Sharks and/or to support their 2016 Mitzvah Laps Fundraiser, please make your pledge HERE. Lap counting begins this Wednesday!
Good luck Sharks! You are an amazing group of swimmers, and more importantly, you are wonderful people with huge hearts. We are so very proud of you!
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