Sasha Hagen, one of many kids who will take part in the Orcas Rec Swim-a-Thon on Feb. 6

Splashing swimmers, cheering parents and generous donors can all support the Orcas Rec Swim-a-Thon on Saturday, Feb. 6.

The swim-a-thon will be held at the Orcas Athletic Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All swimmers under 18 who can swim the length of the pool and back without assistance are invited to participate.

Orcas Rec will give participants Pledge Sheets and instructions for getting started. Participants will sign up people to pledge a certain amount of money for each lap they can swim on Feb 6th.

Participants will show up at their designated time on Feb 6th and swim as many laps as s/he can (one lap is down and back) in 15 min. Parent volunteers will count how many laps each participant swims. Participants then collect money from their pledges and donate it to Orcas Rec. All proceeds will go to Orcas Rec for summer programs.

Children must have a signed liability waiver and a pool waiver before they swim. A certified lifeguard will be on duty during the swim-a-thon.

Adults are encouraged to stay and cheer on the swimmers.

“This is the first time for us to have this event and we are excited to see how it goes,” says Orcas Rec Director Linda Sheridan. “We would love to have more swimmers! ”

Registration forms are available in the rack outside the Orcas Rec office in the Senior Center/County Office Building. To register or sponsor a swimmer, call 376-5339. For more information about Orcas Rec, go to www.orcasrec.org.