Brooke began swimming for the Southern Yacht Club's swim team, The Seagulls, at the age of four. After her accident, Brooke's teammates dedicated the 2017 swim season to her and wore swim caps bearing the slogan "Swim for Brooke." Wanting to do more, the coach and team members, along with Brooke's family, decided to hold a swim-a-thon in her honor. And as they say, the rest is history.
The first swim-a-thon was held on July 29, 2017. What a day! Twenty-three swimmers showed up in support of Brooke. So heartfelt! As a portion of Brooke’s allowance was often donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, it was only fitting that it benefit from the proceeds of the event. Swimming a total of 1,291 laps, the team raised $8,757!
The second year took place on June 16, 2018. The charity of honor was What You Give Will Grow inspired by Thomas Morstead; an organization that supports children's initiatives in the New Orleans area. Thirty awesome swimmers tallied 1,807 laps and raised $13,848.
On Saturday, June 15, 2019, the 3rd Annual swim-a-thon was held. We raised funds for another wonderful organization committed to ending the cycle of child abuse in our community – the Children’s Advocacy Center, Hope House. This year we had thirty-five swimmers who tallied 1,650 laps and they collectively raised $25,500!!
The 4th annual swim-a-Thon is in the books and it was an event like no other. Despite shutdowns imposed by Covid-19, Swim for Brooke expanded to the virtual world between July 24 and August 4, 2020. We had thirty-two swimmers swim 1,601 laps with a total of 50 participants and raised over $12,200 for the families of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of South Louisiana.
Thank you to all the swimmers, donors, sponsors, and supporters that made these years such an amazing success!
The 2021 Brooke E. Posey Swim-a-Thon will be celebrating its 5th Year and will take place on Brooke’s birthday, Saturday, June 12, 2021. It’s going to be a DOUBLE CELEBRATION that you won’t want to miss!
We are returning to the Southern Yacht Club to enjoy the excitement of watching swimmers log in laps along with food, games, a parade of prizes and more. If you can’t make it in person, don’t worry. We’re keeping the virtual “Swim Anywhere” portion of the FUN-raising so that EVERYONE can participate! Those dates are Saturday, June 5, 2021 until June 20, 2021.
If you would like more information on the swim-a-thon, please visit www.swimforbrooke.com. You can inquire about corporate sponsorships, register to swim, donate or become a sponsor!