Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross presents Swim for Disaster Relief on August 9

    Advisory Council members of the Aroostook County Branch of the American Red Cross – Pine Tree Chapter, have announced that plans are being made to hold the first annual SWIM-A-CROSS event on Sunday, August 9, at the Presque Isle indoor pool beginning at 9:30 a.m. This event promises to be a fun and fit activity for people of all ages.      Participants will collect money pledged for each lap they swim and are asked to set realistic lap goals based on physical condition.  Those who raise $100 or more will be eligible to receive one of the top three prizes which include:  a Wii game console,  youth mountain bike, or an iPod. There will also be many other prizes randomly drawn from registration tickets throughout the event.  Swim-A-Cross tee-shirts will be given to the first 25 participants bringing in their pledge forms the day of the event.
    The event goal is to raise $1,000 or more to support the local Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for the upcoming year.
    “Within the past 11 months, trained disaster volunteers and staff from the Aroostook County Branch of the American Red Cross – Pine Tree Chapter have responded to 36 individual or family house fires and flood incidents,” stated Joyce Knorr, Aroostook County branch manager of the Pine Tree Red Cross chapter.  “over $22,000 of donated emergency funds have been distributed to nearly 130 local individuals in their time of urgent need,” she added.
    All proceeds from the event will help provide immediate assistance to community members facing a personal disaster. Funding is desperately needed to pay for shelter, food, clothing, medication replacement/medical equipment, infant supplies and on-going resource assistance for recovery. All Red Cross disaster services are provided at no cost to the victims by the generous donations of businesses and community members.  Red Cross chapters do not receive funding from the National Red Cross or state and federal governments.  
    Major sponsors for the first annual Swim-A-Cross are Presque Isle Wal-mart, Cary Medical Center, Van Buren Ski Shop and the Presque Isle indoor pool. For more information or to pick up pledge forms interested applicants should contact the Red Cross office in Caribou at 493-4620 or Joyce Price, director of the Presque Isle indoor pool at 764-2564.
    The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross serves eight counties in northern, central and eastern Maine with fire and disaster relief, Armed Forces emergency communication services, community preparedness and prevention trainings, and health and safety training services.