Creekman’s 11th Annual Charity Swim & Concert

Organization Image

A nonprofit fundraiser supporting

Seacoast Charter School
Fundraiser image

Gary “Creekman” Sredzienski’s 11th Annual Winter Charity Swim (supporting Seacoast Charter School)

$720

raised by 10 people

$5,000 goal

Creekman’s Wild Winter Swim for SCS Students

Gary Sredzienski’s 11th Annual Winter Charity Swim


SATURDAY, JANUARY 5
2 pm: Bellamy River Swim
6–8 pm: Concert and contra dance party (Dover City Hall )

AT 2 PM ON JANUARY 5, Gary Sredzienski (aka “Creekman”) will don his wet suit and head into the icy waters of the Bellamy River for a charity swim to benefit the Seacoast Charter School, an arts-integrated charter school in Dover, NH. 

It might seem like a strange time of year for a charity swim, but for Gary, who swims in the Maine and New Hampshire rivers 12 months a year, January is the perfect time of year for a challenge.  Gary selected the Seacoast Charter School for his yearly benefit after spending a day doing a contra dance residency at the school’s harvest festival. 

“What a great school with the best and most open-minded students I ever worked with,” Gary said.

After the swim, things will really heat up when Gary, a world-renowned accordionist, will swap out his wet suit for his accordion to host a community concert and contra dance party at Dover City Hall from 6–8 pm.

All proceeds from Gary’s swim and concert will benefit the Seacoast Charter School. Public tickets for the concert are available for $20 and can be purchased online or at the door. 

.......................

The Seacoast Charter School is a publicly funded elementary and middle school uniquely focused on experiencing education through the arts. The mission of the Seacoast Charter School is to provide excellence in core academics and the arts while cultivating the individual qualities and strengths of each child. To learn more, visit the SCS website.

Seacoast Charter School needs your support!

New Hampshire funds its charter schools at one of the lowest rates in the US. New Hampshire’s traditional public school students receive an average of $15,398 in federal, state, and local funding per year. New Hampshire charter schools receive only $7,047 per pupil, per year. We do a lot with our limited budget, but must still depend on community fundraising to help us THRIVE!

More on the “Creekman

Gary Sredzienski is an avid wild swimmer, and each year since 2008 he has done a winter swim for a different charity. So far he has completed 10 mid-winter swims for 10 different charities.  

For Gary, winter swimming wasn’t something that just happened overnight. It all began as a science experiment in the Lamprey River years ago because they don’t make gear for winter swimming. Winter scuba and winter surfing, yes, but swimming in ice water, no. Gary had to learn to adapt his body and gear to near-frozen New England ocean waters.  (He is not genetically altered, but this way of life is the result of years of experimentation and study.) The ocean waters in Maine are perhaps the coldest waters to swim in the lower 48 states. He got so good that he could swim along sheets of ice, but it caused some controversy because he would stop traffic on bridges with folks wondering “Is that a rogue seal? A new form of terrorism?”

Gary wanted to legitimize his sport, so in January 2008 he decided to swim from Portsmouth, NH, to the Isle of Shoals to raise money for the Krempels Brain Injury Foundation and Stepping Stones of Portsmouth. He was met with disbelief, but after four and a half hours fighting strong currents in 39-degree water with an air temperature of 9 degrees Fahrenheit, Gary became the first to make the 6 mile swim in 39-degree water. 

That year he raised $17,000 for the charity, and now “The Creekman Swims for Charity” is an annual event. So far he has swum for causes such as brain injury rehabilitation, hospice, the preservation of lighthouses, hungry and malnourished children, wildlife preservation, and this year, the SEACOAST CHARTER SCHOOL! 

Giving Activity

Comments

Log in to leave a comment. Log in