Brooke Erin Posey was 17 when she lost her life in a tragic automobile accident. In her honor, the Brooke Erin Posey Foundation was created to promote charitable and educational events for local children’s charities and spread awareness for those charities in her memory.
On what would have been Brooke’s 22nd birthday, Saturday, June 12, Love Swimming, Inc. — a year-round, indoor swimming school — will sponsor the 2021 Brooke E. Posey Swim-a-Thon.
The event is more than swimming laps, it provides a fun opportunity to set personal goals, push limits, and enjoy all aspects of swimming while raising money for local children’s charities.
“The Brooke E. Posey Swim-a-Thon and Love Swimming are a great match because we both want all people to be their best and to respect the water,” says Marshall Love, co-founder and owner of Love Swimming. “This event is for a wonderful cause and in loving memory of a very special human being.”
Each year, the foundation selects a different local children’s charity as beneficiary of its annual swim-a-thon. This year’s recipient is Angels’ Place, which provides ongoing support services for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In 2020, the event switched to a “swim anywhere” format. This year it will return to an in-person event where participants can safely enjoy the excitement of logging in laps with fellow swimmers. The virtual “swim anywhere” portion, however, will remain a part of the event and will be held from June 5 until June 20, so that anyone, anywhere, can participate.
“In our first four years we’ve raised nearly $60,000 to aid local children’s charities,” said Ernest Posey, director at the foundation and Brooke’s father. “We hope our combining an in-person event with the “swim anywhere” format will be just the ticket for surpassing last year’s numbers.”
The entry fee to swim is $35 for a single swimmer, $150 for a family registration of up to four swimmers and $200 for a team registration of up to six swimmers. Registered swimmers will receive a reusable bag along with a 2021 swim-a-thon t-shirt the day of the event.
COVID-19 pool rules will be followed per the Office of the Fire Marshal, Office of the Governor and the Louisiana Department of Health as outlined in the notifications through “Open Safely.” Those guidelines can be viewed at opensafely.la.gov.
“This event is not just for the swimmers,” says Posey. “There is something for everyone. PJ’s Coffee will be providing coffee in the morning and Raising Canes will provide tea and lemonade for the afternoon. Participants can also enjoy playing many fair style games and win tickets to earn prizes in the event’s Parade of Prizes.
Other sponsors of the event include: Crystal Hot Sauce, Haunted History Tours, Crew Swimming, Café Du Monde, JoJo’s Salon and Classic Cupboards.
It’s not too late to become a sponsor, donate to the parade of prizes, or donate food for this event. For more information, visit www.swimforbrooke.com or email info@swimforbrooke.com.
