Happy New Year - New Clubs, New Countries - Global Swim 2014!

Photo: Rotary / Rotaract Club of Shanghai event February 2013

Happy New Year everyone!

Right now there are just over 44 days to go until our 3rd Global splashtactular and thanks to your amazing support we continue to go from strength to strength. As always the stories of how new clubs find out about the event are endlessly fascinating!

In December we got our first ever registration from a club in Sweden. After we sent the event guides through we received this fantastic email from Billy Jernberg who registered the event.

"We are glad to be able to enter this event, which really shows the power of Rotary.
Our mission will be to challenge other clubs in Sweden to participate, we will use Facebook and our website to do that.

I first learned about your event when I was in Shanghai in February and visited the Shanghai Rotary club and was invited to swim in their Swimarathon."

So a visit to Shanghai China lead to a Swimarathon being set up at the other end of the world - wonderful!

Via Twitter we heard that our Rotarians in the Bahamas would be joining in - the variations in temperatures mean nothing - it's all about that common goal of eradicating Polio.

Just yesterday we received our first ever registration from Malaysia the Rotary Club of Ipoh South and with a 6 hour event, including celebrity guests, AquaZumba and a blood drive they have it very well organized!!

Talking of extra events, hopefully many of you will already be aware that there is another fantastic worldwide initiative going on during Rotary Week - The world's biggest Meal to End Polio Now. The event, the brainchild of my dear friends Susanne Rea from Australia-our most active Global Swim supporter over the last two years and the equally unstoppably dedicated PDG Mukesh Malhotra RIBI communities officer, fits perfectly with our Swimarathon events. Very easy to organize a meal before , during or after the event , or even during your normal club meetings.

Already in just a few weeks , 50+ clubs in 5 continents have signed up - take a look the map

and you can get all the details on how to register to take part on the facebook group

First a swim, then a meal - why not finish with flowers - Rotary Crocuses supporting End Polio Now.

Particularly for those clubs in the US and Europe, where these fantastic silk flowers are now available to order directly online - here's how you can order

So right now we have 302 clubs in 41 countries on our map - room for plenty more!

To join us please visit Rotary Global Swimarathon watch the 2 min registration video on how to sign up or follow instructions and you could be part of all this - remember doesn't have to be a big event, just a group of friends swimming together. As the Bill Gates foundation will treble all donations in 2013 for End Polio Now, every $1 raised counts as $3 , and with 3 great ways to raise, swim, meal and flowers, it's the perfect time to get involved!!










talkinTa