Happy New Year from the Swim!

Teen Smoke Stoppers Scheduled to Debut on PBS
The Teen Smoke Stoppers program, funded by the Swim, will be the focus of an upcoming show on teen smoking on the Keeping Kids Healthy Show on PBS. KKHS will begin shooting the segment January 5th at Fairfield High School. The date the segment will be aired is still undetermined.

The show will feature the teen smoking cessation classroom with Teen Smoke Stoppers Director Mary Ellen Bolcer. She will also appear in the PBS studio during the program to explain the dynamics of TSS. More than 32,000 teens have benefited from Teen Smoke Stoppers prevention classes in over 85 schools throughout the state. Over 5,000 students have participated in teen smoking cessation classes. The program began in 1996. The mission of Teen Smoke Stoppers is to encourage kids to have a quitting experience. Studies have shown that teens who quit by the age of 18, will likely not smoke for 20 more years.

KKHS is a weekly half-hour TV program designed to provide parents and caregivers of children with the knowledge and support they need to make well-informed decisions about their children’s health. The series, produced by an award-winning editorial team that includes recipients of Pulitzer, Peabody, Emmy and Ace Awards, are on Thirteen/WNET New York, the nation’s flagship PBS station and is offered for syndication to PBS stations around the country. For more information on KKHS visit www.keepingkidshealthy.org.

UConn Huskies Teaming with the Swim
UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the first Prostate Cancer Institute dinner May 20th at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. Calhoun, a prostate cancer survivor, will talk basketball as well as the importance of raising awareness about prostate cancer in men.

Calhoun will also take part in a pre-dinner cocktail party and silent sports auction. The Swim Prostate Cancer Institute will honor Calhoun for his tireless work in campaigning for early detection in fighting the disease. Frank Morse, chairman of PCI and Bill Mitchell of Mitchells Westport will present the award. Tickets will go on sale in late January.

In 2002-03, Coach Calhoun faced the biggest challenge of his life, announcing he had prostate cancer. He took an immediate leave of absence from the team and underwent surgery to have his prostate removed. He remarkably returned to the sidelines for the team’s match-up with St. John’s at Gampel Pavilion, only 13 days after successful surgery to eliminate his prostate cancer.

Calhoun has molded the Huskies into one of elite collegiate basketball programs in the country. In 17 seasons, Calhoun has accumulated 399-159 (71.5%) mark at Connecticut. Calhoun led the Huskies to the NCAA Division I title in 1999. Several UConn players, such as Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall and Chris Smith, have gone on to successful careers in the NBA.

Car Raffle Tickets
Put the pedal to the metal and get your car raffle tickets to benefit the Swim and D’Addario Hypertension Programs. William B. Meyer, Inc. of Stratford and Mario D’Addario Buick Pontiac GMC Nissan of Shelton donated the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am for the second consecutive year. The Swim will sell only 2,750 tickets at $20 each, which will raise a total of $55,000 to benefit St. Vincent’s.

The winner of this sleek and sporty car will be randomly selected at the eighth annual Swim Celebrity Breakfast, February 11, 2004 at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. For raffle tickets contact St. Vincent’s Foundation 203-576-5451.

Inspirational Thoughts
The Swim newsletter begins a new feature of an inspirational writing that touches on the mission of the Swim. We welcome all cancer survivors or supporters of the Swim to submit a poem, essay or reflective piece for consideration for publication. Send all writings to sziborg@aol.com.

Maybe
By Jennifer Scifo (Volunteer), Daughter of Swim Co-Chair Dr. Frank Scifo

If you ask me why I volunteer,
I will tell you, it’s because of one single world – maybe.
You’ll get that confused wrinkle above your left eyebrow
And ask, “Why do you volunteer?”
I will reply once again, “Maybe.”
Maybe Marie could have seen Caitlin graduate high school.
Maybe Linda could notice how much Ariana and
Angel so beautifully mirror the splendor she possessed.
Maybe Pop Pop would be there to make one more joke when
The conversation grew silent.
Maybe Uncle Bob would still drop over for Sunday leftovers,
Followed by some simple but witty advice.
Maybe if there was no such thing as cancer, I wouldn’t
Have to say, “Maybe.”

I volunteer because maybe with the help of St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound, that menacing “maybe” will be trounced by hopes of all those it ministers to. Cancer is a looming disease. It is scary and at times exasperating for the victims and for their families. The Swim will never forget those left behind by this overwhelming illness. In fact, it is the Swim that lends a hand when times are most trying even if it means solely paying an electric bill. Maybe no one knows what tomorrow may bring but I know that if I volunteer than maybe tomorrow will be a little easier for one family that the Swim has helped.

2004 Cancer Support Programs/Lectures Schedule
The Cancer Support Programs and Lectures, sponsored by the Swim, will be in full swing for 2004. Here is a listing:

1. The General Cancer Support Group will meet 6-7:30 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.
2. The Cancer Lecture Series will continue to take place on alternating months starting in January. The first lecture will be “Updates on Lung Cancer,” by Paul Berard, MD on Jan. 27th.
3. The Look Good Feel Better Program meets six times during the year. This is a highly effective support program so please encourage all chemo/RT female patients to attend. If necessary, patients can bring a guest for assistance.
4. The Breast Cancer Support Group gets together on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 5:30-7 p.m.
5. The Family Support Group meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month from 4-5:30 p.m. for lymphoma, multiple myloma and leukemia patients. The group works in partnership with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

For more information about these support groups or to reserve a place, contact Teresa Money McLaughlin, Case Manager, and Outpatient Cancer Services at 576-6158.

Biking in the Fast Lane
The Swim Tour de Sound committee has already begun planning its 2004 bike ride, at a date yet to be determined. The committee welcomes volunteers interested in planning and participating in the event. The ride features a fun, family day, including lunch and event T-shirt. The committee is seeking corporate sponsors and encouraging businesses and organizations to form teams to ride in the Tour de Sound. Riders can choose the length of the course they want – 10 miles, 25 miles and 100 miles. Riders are asked to raise pledges to support the Swim. For more information, contact Dan Rose, MD, 576-5708 or St. Vincent’s Medical Foundation 576-5451.

Remember the Swim
Of all the worthwhile causes, few meet the work the Swim does in helping others. There are many ways to help the Swim:

• Donate to Swim events;
• Participate in Swim events;
• Name the Swim in your will;
• Donate a planned income gift;
• Volunteer;
• Run your own Swim fundraiser.

For more information, call the Swim Foundation at 203-576-5451.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Swim Celebrity Breakfast - February 11, 2004
Be a celebrity waiter and have your friends tip you to raise funds for the Swim! At the Celebrity Breakfast, to be held at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport, the winning ticket will be pulled for the new Pontiac Grand Am, donated by Thomas D’Addario and William B. Meyer. For more information, call St. Vincent’s Foundation – 203-576-5451.

Michael Amante Concert - January 17, 2004
America’s tenor Michael Amante will perform at the Concert Hall at Norwalk January 17. The Eagles, a regional fraternal group, is sponsoring the concert that will benefit the Swim. For tickets, call 888-804-7488 and www.italianhouseparty.com.

St. Vincent's Medical Center's Swim Across the Sound is turning the tide against cancer.

The Swim has a unique mission to help cancer patients in need. The Swim raised $2.5 million in 2003 and helped 18,000 cancer survivors and their families throughout Southern Connecticut.

This is not a research program, but a charitable foundation dedicated to helping people on a case-by-case basis. The Swim has grown into a series of year-round activities focused on raising funds to underwrite 34 cancer education, screening and support group programs.