Brooke began swimming for the Southern Yacht Club’s swim team, the Seagulls, when she was just four years old. After we lost Brooke, her teammates dedicated the 2017 swim season to her, wearing swim caps with three simple words that would soon mean so much to so many:
Swim for Brooke
Wanting to do more to honor Brooke and the beautiful way she lived her life, her coaches, teammates, friends and family came together to hold a swim-a-thon in her memory.
And as they say, the rest is history.
Where It All Began
The first Brooke E. Posey Swim-a-Thon was held on July 29, 2017. Twenty-three swimmers showed up to swim in Brooke’s honor.
Because Brooke often donated a portion of her allowance to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it was only fitting that St. Jude was chosen as the first beneficiary.
Those 23 swimmers completed an incredible 1,291 laps and raised $8,757.
What began as one special day at the pool has grown into something we never could have imagined.
2018–2026
Over the years, Swim for Brooke has continued to bring together swimmers, families, sponsors, donors, volunteers and friends to celebrate Brooke’s life while supporting nonprofit organizations that make a difference in the lives of children and families throughout our community.
From 2018 through 2026, a total of 506 swimmers completed 27,599 laps in Brooke’s honor.
Along the way, Swim for Brooke has supported incredible nonprofit organizations, including What You Give Will Grow, Children’s Advocacy Center – Hope House, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana and other organizations whose missions reflect the spirit of kindness, compassion and giving that Brooke embodied.
Even during the challenges of 2020, Swim for Brooke continued. The event expanded into the virtual world with our “Swim Anywhere” option, allowing friends and supporters to participate no matter where they were.
Through nine years of generosity, dedication and love, Swim for Brooke has raised more than $164,000 for the nonprofit organizations and families we have been honored to support.
But Swim for Brooke has always been about more than the numbers.
It is about remembering Brooke.
It is about children jumping into the pool, families spending the day together, friends returning year after year, and a community coming together to turn love into something meaningful.
It is about kindness, friendship, giving back and carrying Brooke’s spirit forward.
Celebrating 10 Years of Swim for Brooke
In 2027, we will celebrate an incredible milestone—10 years of Swim for Brooke.
And this year’s date could not be more meaningful.
Saturday, June 12, 2027
Southern Yacht Club
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 12 would have been Brooke’s 28th birthday.
Ten years after that first group of swimmers jumped into the pool in Brooke’s honor, we will once again gather at the place where so much of her story began to swim, celebrate, remember and give back.
It will be a day to celebrate Brooke, the incredible community that has surrounded our family and this event, and the difference we have been able to make together over the past decade.
To every swimmer who has completed a lap, every person who has made a donation, every sponsor who has believed in our mission, every volunteer who has given their time, and every family and friend who has shown up year after year—thank you.
You have helped turn three simple words—Swim for Brooke—into ten years of kindness, generosity, friendship and impact.
We hope you will join us on June 12, 2027, as we celebrate Brooke’s 28th birthday and the 10th year of Swim for Brooke.
Get Involved
Planning is underway for our 2027 celebration!
If you would like to sponsor or donate in-kind donations for Swim for Brooke 2027, please contact melissa@bepfoundation.org.
Additional information about our 2027 nonprofit partner, registration, donations and event activities will be announced soon.
10 Years of Swimming. 10 Years of Giving. Always for Brooke.
