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Community Corner

ACI SWIMS IN DIANA NYAD'S SWIM FOR RELIEF FUNDRAISER IN NYC

The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI), in a partnership with AmeriCares, took part in the Nyad Swim for Relief fundraiser in an effort to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the iconic disaster, long distance swimmer and recent world record holder, Diana Nyad, participated in the event by performing a continuous 48 hour swim in a 120 foot, 2 lane pool in the middle of New York City’s historic Herald Square. On October 9th, members of the ACI team were there alongside various celebrities, athletes, first responders and organizations to swim with Nyad and support the cause.

This historic event meant a great deal of importance to ACI, as team members Salma Harris and Millie Gonzalez both lost their homes during Sandy and remain displaced nearly a year later. Before her swim with Nyad, Salma had a chance to share her continuing story of heartache and frustration in the aftermath of storm. While fighting back tears, Nyad gave Salma some words of encouragement and mentioned that she was the first Sandy victim to swim with her at the event. “Being a Sandy Victim/Survivor and having Diana Nyad bring awareness to the public that many of us are still trying to rebuild what we've lost, it was an honor to be a part of this event.” said Salma.

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ACI was chosen to take part in this great cause due to their partnership with AmeriCares, which involved a series of workshops emergency preparedness for people with disabilities conducted by ACI. For more details, please visit adacil.org.

At the time of this writing, Swim for Relief raised over $108,000 with $1000 on behalf of ACI. Proceeds benefited the AmeriCares Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. If you wish to donate, please visit NyadSwimForRelief.com.

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ACI would like to thank Lindsay O'Brien, Corey Langworthy, Randy Weiss and Leslie Gianelli from AmeriCares for the amazing opportunity to participate in Swim for Relief and for working with us and Citizen Paine Public Relations Firm in making sure the pool is fully accessible for all participants.


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