Thank you!

The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) sincerely thanks all swimmers, sponsors and volunteers for supporting the 2009 RIDBC Splash for Cash swimathon.

More than 150 swimmers joined Guy Leech, Susie Maroney and blind-long distance swimmer James Pittar on Saturday 28 March for the 2009 RIDBC Splash for Cash swimathon.

These swimmers clocked up a combined 4528 laps (or nearly 227 kilometres!) at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre to raise funds for deaf children and blind children across Australia.

Guy Leech, Susie Maroney and James Pittar took to the water themselves when not cheering on participants and posing for photos.

“The support we received from sponsors and swimmers, as well as from ambassadors like Guy, Susie and James, is just tremendous,” said Kaye Bailey, RIDBC Splash for Cash Coordinator.

While money is still coming in, it is expected this year’s RIDBC Splash for Cash will raise more than $40,000 to help RIDBC’s Australia-wide service, RIDBC Teleschool. This service uses the latest communications technology to deliver services from RIDBC’s North Rocks campus to families in rural and remote areas.

And like the RIDBC Teleschool, the RIDBC Splash for Cash swimathon is also rapidly expanding its geographical reach.

This year, participants at Homebush were joined by swimmers at ‘Splash Out’ events in Springwood in the Blue Mountains, Macquarie University, and in Quirindi in the Northern NSW Tablelands.