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Swim Across America,
the nonprofit organization that makes waves to fight cancer
by holding charity swims across the nation, will host its
20th annual Swim Across America – Fairfield County open
water swim on Saturday, June 20 2026, in Dolphin Cove in
Stamford, Connecticut, at 96 Cummings Point Road, on the
Greenwich/Stamford border. The event welcomes swimmers of
all ages and skill levels to help make waves to fight
cancer, with proceeds benefiting Alliance for Cancer Gene
Therapy (ACGT), headquartered in Stamford, and the nation’s
only nonprofit dedicated to funding cancer cell and gene
therapy. Participants may choose from a 1/2-mile, 1.5-mile,
or 3-mile swim course, and children ages 11-years-old and
younger can participate in a fun Kids’ Splash along the
shore, as well as enjoy other Kids’ Splash zone activities
like face painting, tattoos, arts and crafts, and a visit by
Dash the Dolphin, Swim Across America’s mascot. There is
also a “SAA My Way,” virtual option for those who are unable
to participate in-person on June 20th. For registration and
volunteer opportunities (land and water), or to support the
swim with a tax-deductible donation, visit
www.swimacrossamerica.org/fc
Established in 2007,
Swim Across America – Fairfield County has raised more than
$8.2 million for its local beneficiary ACGT, supporting
dozens of cancer research grants supporting better
treatments and clinical trials for brain cancer, leukemia,
lymphoma, osteosarcoma, melanoma, pancreatic, lung cancer,
solid tumors, and this year, ovarian cancer. Each year, the
event proudly hosts more than 250 swimmers, and hundreds of
volunteers, spectators and supporters, as well as Olympic
swimmers for this inspiring community swim.
“For this 20th year
of making waves,, we’re aiming to make our biggest impact
yet,” said Nancy Carr, event director of Swim Across America
– Fairfield County. “This is truly a community effort where
everyone makes a difference — in and out of the water –
driving us towards a record-breaking year in the fight
against cancer. Volunteers and younger participants amplify
their impact by fundraising alongside our most seasoned
swimmers. A middle school student is currently our top
fundraiser.”
Special recognition
will be given to longtime swimmers Craig Lawrence of
Redding, Connecticut, whose sister Kimberly Lawrence Netter,
sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2001, and who was
the inspiration behind Greenwich residents Barbara and
Edward Netter founding ACGT. Craig has swum 1.5 to 3-miles
every single year and now swims with his teenage son Graham,
who has also been a part of the swim since he was a baby.
Old Greenwich residents Rob and Julie Colligan, who also
swim (Rob swims 3-miles and Julie has done various
distances, as well as managing more than 100+ volunteers as
the event’s volunteer coordinator), will also be honored.
The Colligans, along with their two children, have been a
constant presence at the swim throughout the years. Darien
resident Matt Vossler, who started Swim Across America in
1987, 20 years before the Fairfield County swim began, is
also a constant with the swim. Beyond Matt’s incredible
depth of knowledge about all things Swim Across America, he
also heads up the safety team and is on the beach every year
counting down for the swimmers to enter the water. Other
veterans include longtime volunteers Roberta Bass of
Greenwich, Julie Gibian of Old Greenwich, Wendy Probert of
Westport, and longtime boating and safety team members Jim
Gibian and John Palmer of Old Greenwich, and others who have
helped steer the event safely year after year. Also
recognized will be top fundraiser and 3-mile swimmer Peter
(Pete) Carlson, Jr., of Riverside, Connecticut, who is team
captain of the largest team participating in the swim, Team
Julian, which is in memory of Julian Fraser, a Greenwich
High School four-time High School All-American and captain
of the GHS swimming and water polo teams, who sadly
succumbed to a brief battle with sarcoma in 2017 at just age
20. Pete and his wife Sue as well as their entire family
have been part of the Swim Across America family since its
early days.
This year’s featured
ACGT researcher supported by Swim Across America - Fairfield
County is Joseph Fraietta, Ph.D., of the University of
Pennsylvania, whose work is focused on developing new
treatments for ovarian cancer. Fraietta will attend the swim
and represent the cutting-edge research being advanced
through the local support of the swim.
Also attending will
be Laurie Adami, a CAR T–cell therapy recipient who is alive
today after a decade-long battle with follicular lymphoma (a
non-Hodgkin lymphoma) because of the breakthrough treatment
she received. Early CAR T-cell clinical trials were funded
by ACGT, making her story a powerful reminder of how today’s
donations can help create tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
“For 20 years, Swim
Across America - Fairfield County has brought together
families, friends and neighbors to turn the tide against
cancer,” noted Nancy Carr. “What began as a local charity
swim has grown into a beloved community tradition that
continues to send hope, momentum and critical funding
straight to the front lines of cancer research. There isn't
a person among us who hasn't been touched by cancer. I hope
that everyone comes out to join us on Saturday, June 20th,
for the 20th annual open water swim.”
Nationally, Swim
Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer
research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund
clinical trials that contributed to the FDA-approved cancer
immunotherapy medications Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and
Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a
breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that
showed that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat
certain types of cancer. The organization also recently
awarded two first-of-its-kind gene editing innovation grants
to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene and base
editing techniques used in targeted therapies,
immunotherapies and cellular therapies. Swim Across America
supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually, has
eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at
many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.
Swimmers,
volunteers, boaters and donors are encouraged to register or
give today at
www.swimacrossamerica.org/fc
Swim Across America,
Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for
cancer research, prevention and treatment through
swimming-related events. With open water and pool swims in
27 communities across the United States – from Nantucket to
under the Golden Gate Bridge – Swim Across America, along
with the help of thousands of swimmers and volunteers
nationwide, and past and current Olympians, is helping find
better treatments and a cure for cancer through athleticism,
community outreach and direct service. To learn more, visit
swimacrossamerica.org.
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