Hunters Hill Hawks & Residents - We Want Your Activity Miles and Hours!

Every 15 min, 50 Americans are diagnosed with cancer, many being children. Even during a pandemic, people continue to hear the terrible words ‘you have cancer’.

This year, since we can’t come together for our 2020 Hawks swim team summer league season, we are participating in the SAA Coast to Coast Challenge and will be logging activity miles to help Team SAA-Denver virtually travel across America. We know this is a great way to promote health, community, and giving back. But we’d like everyone to join our team, not just Hawks swimmers, as we look to exercise as a way to make a difference in our community.

This summer, we are excited to launch a “Hunters Hill" team as part of Swim Across America-Denver’s Coast to Coast Challenge (www.swimacrossamerica.org/Denver), and it’s for all residents to join, swimmers and non-swimmers. The challenge ends August 23^rd, there are no fundraising requirements (although we won’t discourage those that want to), so sign up today! All ages welcome!

We’d like everyone to join our team, whether you’re a Hawks swimmer or not. Here are your options:

• Get active! Run, walk, swim, bike, hike, paddle, SUP, golf, dance, volunteer, donate blood… it all counts and helps! Click on “Register” button below the picture of Markus (read more below). Then click on “Join a Team”, then “Join as a new Participant”. Enter “Hunters Hill” in Team Name box, and “Search”. Click “Join” when you see the correct search results – complete the sign up w/ your $25 registration fee (you are welcome to donate more if you’d like).

• Don’t want to join, but do want to support through a donation? Simply click the “Donate” button on the home page (below the picture). In the “Search for Participant” page, enter the name of a resident that is participating, or just donate under the Hunters Hill team. You can look at our team page to see others that sign up.

• Once signed up to participate, feel free to send out your personal page (or our team page) to tell people what you are doing, and/or link to your Facebook or Instagram page. Then make sure to click the “Enter Activity” button on a daily or weekly basis to enter your miles and/or hours of various activities you do, including volunteer hours (i.e. I ran, walked, swam, biked and even donated blood last week – all counted as separate activities). Please try to log your activity miles or hours by each Sunday night.

Each donation received adds another mile to our journey! Every bit helps and will make an impact in the fight to find a cure. Whether you swim, bike, run, walk, dance… you are raising awareness and funds!

GO HAWKS!

Kelli Smith (Swim Team Parent) & Coach Luke Archambault

See the picture below?

That is 16 year old Markus – Hunters Hill resident Eric Vitcenda helped teach him how to swim a week before the Swim Across America-Denver open water swim fundraising event that many of you supported last summer, as he wanted to challenge himself and participate by swimming a ½ mile at Chatfield Reservoir. That’s also Markus in the Swim Across America Coast to Coast challenge flyer right after finishing the swim.

What you don’t see is that his leg was amputated above the knee in 2017 due to osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Ever tried swimming a ½ mile in open water (or even the pool – 32 lengths), let alone with only one leg/foot? Not easy, but through the support of Swim Across America–Denver, he succeeded in completing the swim and continues to get the pediatric care and support he deserves! By joining our challenge, and/or your donation, you help ensure there are more positive stories like Markus’!

You can read more about Markus and watch his inspirational video on Children’s Hospital Colorado’s website - search for “Markus: There's No Running from Cancer”