Courtesy: Swim Across America
When Robert Thorpe of Mamaroneck, New York, dives into Long Island Sound on Saturday, July 25, for his fifth Swim Across America – Long Island Swim open water swim, he will be swimming with more purpose than ever before.
Robert’s 6-year-old daughter, Camille, was diagnosed with leukemia this spring and has been undergoing chemotherapy. On July 25, Robert will complete the 5K course as a member of Team Next Level Private, swimming to support the cancer research that is now deeply personal to his family.
“Life throws you curveballs,” Robert said. “Camille has a long road ahead, but she’s handling it with a courage that humbles everyone around her. I’ve participated in this swim four times in the past, but never with this much purpose. Swim Across America has spent nearly four decades funding the clinical trials and research that give children like Camille their best chance. This year, that’s not abstract to me. It’s everything.”
Robert will be among nearly 1,000 swimmers and hundreds of volunteers participating in the 34th annual Swim Across America – Long Island Sound open water swim in Larchmont, New York — one of the largest Swim Across America events in the nation.
Since its first Westchester County swim in 1992, Swim Across America – Long Island Sound has raised more than $32 million for cancer research, care and patient support services in the New York City area for its local beneficiaries: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medicine and Cancer Support Team.
Following a record-breaking fundraising year last year, the 2026 goal is to raise $2.5 million. The open water swim is joined by community pool swims across Westchester County running through Aug. 1.
The July 25 open water swim is a point-to-point event that begins at the Larchmont Yacht Club, 1 Woodbine Ave., and finishes at the Larchmont Shore Club, 1 Oak Bluff Ave. Swimmers can choose 2K, 5K and 10K distances, with 10K swimmers crossing Long Island Sound from Glen Cove, New York, to the Larchmont Shore Club.
The minimum fundraising requirement is $500 for 2K and 5K swimmers and $5,000 for 10K swimmers. For those who prefer a pool to open water, a half-mile same-day pool swim is offered at the Larchmont Shore Club.
“Every year, our Swim Across America – Long Island Sound community reminds us that this event is about hope, action and the power of coming together,” said Jean Fufidio, event director of Swim Across America – Long Island Sound. “Whether someone swims 10K, 5K or 2K in Long Island Sound, joins a pool swim, participates virtually through SAA My Way, or comes out to volunteer on the land or water, every stroke and every dollar helps support the doctors, researchers and caregivers who are making breakthroughs in cancer care.”
Behind the fundraising totals are survivors, patients, families and friends — each with a reason to dive in.
Taking Fundraising to the Next Level — and Swimming for Camille
Team Next Level Private, captained by Barry Mitchell of Rye, is the event’s leading fundraising team, having raised more than $132,701 so far this year.
Barry grew up in New Rochelle and was a lifeguard at the Larchmont Yacht Club as a teenager, where the 2K and 5K swimmers will enter the water. He has supported Swim Across America since 2006 and has known Frank Webers, who co-founded the Long Island Sound swim in 1992 after losing his wife, Kathy, to cancer, for more than 40 years.
“Sadly, cancer affects too many we love,” Barry said. “My Next Level Private team is a group of incredibly passionate and dedicated community members who are looking to take our fundraising and support of Swim Across America to the next level this year. I am excited and honored to be part of such an impactful organization that is changing lives every day.”
This year, Camille’s diagnosis has given the team an even more immediate reason to swim and raise funds.
Robert said his daughter’s courage throughout treatment has inspired everyone around her. By completing the 5K swim, he hopes to help fund research that will give Camille and other children facing cancer their best chance at long and healthy lives.
Team Alice Marks More Than Two Decades of Making Waves
Tony Caserta of White Plains is the event’s leading individual fundraiser, having personally raised close to $45,229 this year. He is also captain of Team Alice, one of the event’s top fundraising teams, which has a goal of raising $50,000 this year.
Tony has been part of Swim Across America for 35 years, beginning with the organization’s Hyannis-to-Nantucket 26-mile relay swim.
Team Alice swims in memory of Tony’s mother, Alice Caserta, a registered nurse who cared for patients for nearly 50 years at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison before passing away from lung cancer in September 2003. The team also honors Tony’s brother, Pat, a longtime Swim Across America supporter who sadly passed away in March 2025.
Throughout the past 23 years, Team Alice has raised more than $500,000 in the fight against cancer.
On July 25, Tony’s children, Luke, 25, Margaret, 24, and Ryan, 22, along with his nephews John, Max and Jack Caserta and family friends, will complete the 2K swim.
This year, Team Alice also swims in memory of Phil Messina, Tiffany O’Toole Flaherty, Dr. Mike Hughes and Fallon O’Toole McIntyre, and in honor of Mike Caserta and Karen Flynn Mahoney, who are still fighting cancer.
“One of our proudest achievements has come from being part of the group that set up the funding for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Swim Across America Lab, which successfully created a cancer immunotherapy that has changed the way many cancer treatments have evolved,” Tony said. “I have been involved with Swim Across America for 35 years and have seen some fantastic results from the donations the swim has raised.”
Team Gina Continues a Beloved Swimmer’s Legacy
Team Gina also returns this year, swimming in memory of Gina Mannix, a young mother who died from breast cancer in February 2024, just weeks after giving birth to her second child.
Gina grew up swimming summers at the Larchmont Shore Club. She led her Ursuline School team to seven undefeated seasons and set a record at the College of the Holy Cross, where she was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. She later served as an assistant coach for the New York Athletic Club.
Gina and her siblings participated in Swim Across America for many years, swimming in memory of their grandfathers, Charles Roeckell and Richard E. Mannix Sr., and their uncle, James Lynch.
The team, captained by Gina’s sister Christine Mannix of Larchmont, now continues that tradition in Gina’s honor and memory.
If open water swimming isn’t in a comfort zone, Swim Across America – Long Island Sound also offers numerous pool swims. The upcoming 2026 Swim Across America – Long Island Sound swim schedule in Westchester County includes: Coveleigh Club Pool Swim, Rye, Wednesday, July 15, 3 to 5:30 p.m.; Orienta Beach Club Pool Swim, Mamaroneck, Saturday, July 18, 6:15 to 9:30 a.m.; Chappaqua Swim & Tennis Club Pool Swim, Chappaqua, Sunday, July 19, 8 to 10:30 a.m.; Leewood Golf Club Pool Swim, Eastchester, Tuesday, July 21, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Swim Across America – Long Island Sound open water swim, Larchmont, Saturday, July 25; Larchmont Shore Club Half-Mile Pool Swim, Saturday, July 25, 8 to 9:30 a.m.; Scarsdale Golf Club Pool Swim, Hartsdale, Thursday, July 30, 4 to 6 p.m.; and Lake Isle Club Pool Swim, Eastchester, Saturday, Aug. 1, 7 to 9:30 a.m.
Those interested in swimming, donating or volunteering — including boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders at the July 25 open water swim — can register and support the cause at swimacrossamerica.org/
Money raised through Swim Across America – Long Island Sound stays local, supporting cancer care and research grants at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medicine and Cancer Support Team.
Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund clinical trials that contributed to the FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy medications Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that showed that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded two first-of-its-kind gene editing innovation grants to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene and base editing techniques used in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and cellular therapies. Swim Across America supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually, has eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide, and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org/
