Staples High School Swimming, the Westport Swim Club and the Westport Weston Family Y Water Rat Swim Team presented Save the Children with more than $45,000 today, which they raised during their Swim for Haiti fundraiser earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, three weeks to the day after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, more than 250 swimmers, who ranged in age from six to 66, raised money by swimming as hard as they could. Adult and teenage swimmers swam more than three miles while the young swimmers did 200 laps in relays. Swim for Haiti took place simultaneously at Staples High School and the Westport Weston Family Y. Swimmers, who asked friends and family to sponsor them, received money from across the country. They also received contributions from New Zealand, Canada and France.

Staging the event twenty-one days after the earthquake had symbolic significance. More than half of Haiti's population is under the age of 21. Children are at particular risk in the weeks ahead. That is why Staples Swimming and the Westport Weston Family Y decided to support Westport-based Save the Children, which has been providing health, education and food to vulnerable Haitian children for 25 years.

Peggy Mevs, a lawyer at GE Capital, created Swim for Haiti with help from her husband Ronald Wimer and Linda Bruce, whose son Cameron is a tri-captain of the Staples Boys Swimming & Diving Team. Mevs is the mother of Water Rat Max Wimer and Gabby Wimer, who swims for both the Water Rats and Staples Girls Swimming. Mevs was born in Port-au-Prince and has family members who were affected by the earthquake, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

"I'm delighted by the outcome," Mevs said. "When we went home Tuesday night we knew we had cleared $30,000, but to see another $15,000 come in during the next two days – that's amazing. I can't thank (my husband) Ron and Linda enough. They did so much to make Swim for Haiti a success. And Staples High School and the Westport Weston Family Y were so supportive; opening up their pools and urging their swimmers to swim for Haiti."

"All this support means a lot to me," Mevs continued. "I left Haiti when I was seven years old, but I have cousins who never left. When they tell me about the devastation I can't understand how they can cope. I know Haitians need any help they can get. That's why I felt I had to do something."

Pledges are still coming in and Swim for Haiti will deliver them to Save the Children later this month. But if anybody else wants to support Westport's swimmers, Mevs encourages them to send checks directly to Save the Children, or make a donation online, and reference "Westport Swim for Haiti."

-- Ronald Wimer, Westport CT