In the Non Sibi Society’s annual Swim-a-Thon this past Sunday, 30 students and faculty joined forces to raise money for the Children of God, a Syrian humanitarian organization.
One standout Swim-a-Thon participant was Mika Latva-Kokko, Instructor in Physics, who swam a record-breaking total of 300 laps.
“Two years ago, I did 250 laps, but this year I wanted to push myself a little further. I was hoping to get to 300 laps, about 7500 yards. I just finished 300 laps before two-and-a-half hours was up. The sense of accomplishment was really memorable,” wrote Latva-Kokko in an email to The Phillipian.
Speakers blasting music motivated the participants to push themselves to complete that extra lap. Each participant was required to have a sponsor who donated either a certain amount of money per lap or a fixed, overall sum.
While the exact amount raised is unknown because volunteers haven’t donated all of their sponsored money yet, Non Sibi society hopes to exceed last year’s total of $2000.
This year, the Non Sibi Society chose proceeds to go to The Children of God, a Syrian organization that provides necessities, such as winter jackets and milk, for underprivileged children affected by the ongoing war, according to Meera Tawil ’14, a member of Non Sibi Society who has worked with Children of God before.
“It was really great witnessing the thoughtfulness that went into choosing the organization they wanted to sponsor, and the organization of the event itself,” said Kassie Archambault, faculty advisor to Non Sibi Society.
“We had a great time with all the swimmers, lifeguards and volunteers. The turnout made our efforts preparing for the event worthwhile,” said Elaine Chao ’14, Co-Head of Non Sibi Society.
