Nage-o-thon
École secondaire De Rochebelle

Swimming and getting others to swim for a good cause is what Audrey Lortie and Julie Boucher, two Secondary 5 students at De Rochebelle high school, decided to do as part of their personal end-of-school project for the international studies program. The project took the shape of a huge swim-a-thon held on December 20 that brought together a hundred or so swimmers and succeeded in raising an amazing $1,765 for Opération Enfant Soleil.

“When I was hospitalized with appendicitis, I realised that there were a lot of sick children who weren’t as lucky as I was. I was deeply touched by them and they were forever in my thoughts. One day, while talking to Julie, we said to ourselves that we must do something and make a concrete gesture to raise funds for research. And this is how the idea for a swim-a-thon to help Opération Enfant Soleil was born,” recounts project founder Audrey Lortie.

But because behind every good idea there is often a long period of organization, preparation and coordination that can sometimes discourage even the bravest of entrepreneurs, the two students rolled up their sleeves and got steadfastly involved in order to make their project a success. In total, the girls devoted nine months of effort and commitment to their project.

“The hardest part was finding a pool,” recounts Julie. “In the beginning, the first person we met turned down our request claiming there was no availability. But when we obtained the support of our school, we met with another person who saw how serious we were and gave us a choice of dates. And our project was given the official go-ahead.”

All that remained was to find swimmers and sponsors, set up a team of volunteers, develop a plan of action and make sure that the cogs were well oiled, or rather watered, the day of the event. Publicity at school, the setting up of a group on Facebook, invitations sent out to all the swimming clubs in the area, Audrey and Julie did everything in their power to attract and enrol as many participants as possible.

“Their project was audacious in that it was the very first swim-a-thon organized entirely by students. It combined physical activity, social commitment, education and awareness among the school community. (…) Initiatives like the one thought up by Audrey and Julie bear witness to the strength of our young people and their ability to unite for a good cause,” asserts Spanish teacher Marina Isabel Gonzalez.

Above and beyond the money raised, the two students are also extremely proud of the direct impact their project has had on participants. Throughout the preparations, and even more so on the day of the swim-a-thon, they dedicated a great deal of energy to raising awareness and informing people about sick children and Opération Enfant Soleil.

“Rallying together for a good cause isn’t everything. It’s also important to know and understand the reasons. The swim-a-thon day was an opportunity to give out lots of information about the foundation and show just how the money will be invested in research and development in paediatrics,” Audrey points out.

The two swim-a-thon instigators admit that organizing the event has been a major learning experience. In twinning their love of swimming with a fund-raising activity, they came to realize that they could change the course of things to come. Now, at the dawn of a new stage in their academic lives, they assert openly that they want to continue on the path of social commitment, in whatever shape or form.

“We think our project has shown that it is possible for everyone, regardless of their age, to get involved and rally together for a cause they feel strongly about. We also proved that young people are willing to go to great lengths to increase community involvement and this is something we are very proud of,” the two students conclude in unison.

Nage-o-thon
École secondaire De Rochebelle