Drs. O'Malley and Ryder honored by Provincetown Community Compact at Peregrine Theatre Swim for Life Benefit, August 8.

Drs. Brian O’Malley and Wilsa Ryder honored by Provincetown Community Compact at Peregrine Theatre Benefit for The Compact’s 30^thSwim for Life, August 8.

Sponsored by Berta Walker Gallery.

The Provincetown Community Compact will honor Drs. Brian O’Malley and Wilsa Ryder on Tuesday, August 8 at 7:30 pm at a benefit performance of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens**, at Fishermen Hall, sponsored by Berta Walker Gallery. Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, producer of the one-night-only performance, celebrates the 30^th year of the Swim for Life. Tickets are available at PeregrineTheatre.comPeregrine Theatre Ensemble, with Adam Berry as executive director and Ben Berry as artistic director, is supported by The Compact's Think-ubator program. The Compact is directed by Jay Critchley.The benefit will also debut a short documentary of the Swim for Life, Prayer Ribbons by Lise King, and their journey to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for World AIDS Day and to Orlando, Florida to meet with the families of the victims of the nightclub shooting.Brian and Wilsa, who are both retired, will receive The Compact Long Point Award. They practiced community medicine for forty years with the Provincetown Medical Group, adapting to many changes in the town and the challenges of the medical profession. With so few children remaining in town for Wilsa’s pediatric practice, and the increasing burden of paperwork, it was time for a change. Wilsa was Provincetown School physician in the early 1980s and was the first chair of the Cecelia Francis Scholarship Fund for Provincetown High School Seniors.Brian diagnosed the first case of HIV in the community and over three decades later he is championing the town’s planned AIDS Memorial as a member of the Cultural Council. He is also a major voice in health care reform on Cape Cod and in the state.Brian proposed and led the Cape Care Coalition, to advocate for a community-owned health plan for all Cape Codders. He has long served as a physician leader, since 1999 as a Trustee for Cape Cod Health Care, and then as a Director of the Cape Cod Preferred Physicians. He is also on the advisory board for the state’s Mass-Care organization looking to create a single payer, Medicare-for-All insurance system, at a time of anxiety about the future of Obamacare.A community and peace activist at heart and a democratic socialist supporter of Bernie Sanders, he also represents the town at the Barnstable County Assemble of Delegates. He introduced a visionary Cape Cod Bill of Rights bill that would recognize the legal rights of the natural environment to remain unspoiled and uncontaminated, but in a close vote, was not passed on the first submission.Other recipients of The Compact Long Point Award include Roslyn Garfield, Joe Stewart and Bill Silvestri.The Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 9. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers go to www.swim4life.org **Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is a song cycle with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and additional text by Bill Russell. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of characters who've died from AIDS and the songs represent the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss. It was first produced in 1989.

Jane Barber: "These are my people"

Jane Barber loves everything about the Swim – the electric energy she feels when she arrives at the Boatslip deck in the morning to register and immerse herself in the camaraderie and anticipation of the 1.4-mile swim ahead. It’s not a race but inclusive of all. The open water crossing takes her from a sense of helplessness to a Zen-like feeling in the middle of the harbor, alone, to the hopefulness of the event and the cheering crowds at the finish.As an avid open water swimmer in California and Colorado, Jane found a home here. “These are my people,” she thought as she swam across Provincetown Harbor in her first Swim for Life in 2009. **Her “friend” at the time, and now her wife, Linda Rohler, brought her to town for a visit and to a Poppy Champlin show. Sitting shyly in the back, the performer asked them how long they’d been together. Jane replied, “We’re just friends”.Well not for long. They married in 2010 and have settled onto Nickerson Street where they have lovingly remodeled artist May Hackett’s home, with the artist’s iconic typewriter prominently displayed. They first met in Cleveland, Ohio where Linda taught one of Jane’s three sons.In the winter the couple retreats to Cleveland and Breckenridge, Colorado where Jane is an adaptive ski instructor. Since moving to the Cape she has continued her interest in adaptive sports at the McGraw Center for Adaptive Sports, a Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital program at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, which she helped establish. Through yoga, biking, kayaking and swimming, she works with people recovering from strokes, paralysis, surgery, arthritis and aging.Jane has invited a close friend this year to swim with her at the 30^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, set for September 9, to share her personal journey. If you’d like to join them as a swimmer, kayaker, boater, volunteer or to cheer them on, contact the Swim for Life at www.swim4life.org. Take the Plunge!

Swim for Life Celebrates 30th anniversary September 9, 2017

Year one: September 9, 1988. There was an offshore breeze, the water was unusually cold, but eighteen swimmers showed up with just ten days notice. $6,000 was raised for the Provincetown Positive People with AIDS Coalition. The swimmers sang, “Row, row, row your boat” and took the plunge to the sound of bagpipes. When they reached Long Point there was no plan to bring them back to the Boatslip beach. Rides were hitched from passing boats.Thirty years later the event attracts 400 swimmers, 150 kayakers, boaters and volunteers. Sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact, this year’s Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 9, 2017 at the Boatslip Beach Club and in magnificent Provincetown Harbor.The public is invited to greet the swimmers beginning at 11:00am. The Celebration of Life Concert, produced by John Thomas, will be held the evening before the Swim, and the Mermaid Brunch will follow the Swim on the Boatslip deck, open to the public and catered by Far Land Provisions. Zoe Lewis will provide the entertainment."This is a very special year for this Provincetown tradition - three decades of celebrating and supporting this spiral spit of sand we call home," states artist and director, Jay Critchley.The fundraiser builds community and provides year round funding and support for social services, youth and educational organizations that include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Accessible Provincetown, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Schools, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.This post-Labor-Day, 1.4-mile swim has raised over $4M for AIDS, women's health and the community since 1988. This year's Swim poster and t-shirt image features the dory of the late Eddie Ritter, the last historic dory in Provincetown. The photo is by Allan MacKinnon, with the design by Andrea Pluhar. T-shirts will be available at Seamen’s Bank downtown next week.For swimmers and kayakers, personal funding pages may be set up through the Swim website: www.swim4life.org. For those unable to attend the Swim this year, they might consider a Satellite Swim in a pool or another location.Business sponsors include: Provincetown Banner (media sponsor), Seamen’s Bank (lead sponsor), and the Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Crown & Anchor, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Berta Walker Gallery, Mussel Beach Health Club, Cape Air, Bay State Cruise, Art’s Dune Tours, and Seashore Point.Swimmers, kayakers, boaters, volunteers and friends of the Swim for Life may contact www.swim4life.org for registration, pledge sheets and volunteer opportunities.

The Compact and its Founder and Director receive a Provincetown Film Fest Award

The Provincetown Community Compact and its founder and director, artist Jay Critchley, were given special recognition from the 2017 Provincetown Film Festival for 30 years of community building, which includes the 30th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla (Sept. 9). One of The Compact's initiatives, the Think-ubator, nurtures grass roots projects through tax-deductible fiscal sponsorship. The Film Fest was incubated by The Compact for five years before the festival became it's own non-profit. Here Jay's remarks at the awards ceremony.Christine Walker, Film Fest Director; Jay Critchley, The Compact Founder & Director; Ginny Binder, The Compact Board Chair; Lise King, filmmaker, producer.Photos: (above) Mike Potenza; (left) Mike Syers, The Compact Board member. 

Mosquito Story Slam - STAYING AFLOAT, June 4

The Swim is excited to team up with the Mosquito Story Slam* in celebration of the 30th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla. All welcome to join in and share stories and cheer on the story tellers on Sunday, June 4, 4-6:00 pm at Mac's Fish House, 85 Shank Painter Road, Provincetown. Thank you Vanessa and Caitlin!Tickets.      Download poster. 

• The Mosquito Story Slam is a live storytelling event and podcast in its 4th season on the Outer Cape, founded by Vanessa Vartabedian and Caitlin Langstaff. The Mosquito invites its audience members to tell 5-minute true stories related to a theme. Mosquito stories are told, not read. No notes or cheat sheets allowed on stage! A maximum of 10 storytellers are picked at random during the show. We believe sharing stories changes things.

Thirty Swims. Thirty Weeks. Swim for Life countdown to Sept 9

Since 1988 Provincetown Harbor has been activated by hundreds of swimmers, kayakers and safety boaters at the annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, raising over M. Thirty years later the event continues the mission of the Provincetown Community Compact* to nurture the well-being of Provincetown by supporting numerous community organizations, including AIDS and women’s health.Presidents’ weekend marks the thirty-week countdown to the event on September 9. From now until then, The Compact will highlight images and stories of swimmers and volunteers and organize special events with beneficiaries and other community organizations.“Provincetown is an American story. Its response to HIV/AIDS is a model of how local communities can overcome crisis when government turns its back.  As much as anything else, the Swim for Life is an event reminding us all of the power of love and compassion, and after 30 years, it's as strong as ever,” states Executive Director Jay Critchley.Swim for Life beneficiaries this year include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Accessible Provincetown, Cape Cod Children’s Place and the West End Racing Club.In 1993 the Swim quietly began to ask people to write names and messages on colored ribbons to honor loved ones, both living and deceased. To date there are 2800 Prayer Ribbons that are displayed at the Swim. Last fall The Compact was invited to show them at a ceremony in the Cannon Caucus Room at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. on World AIDS Day, December 1.The Compact also honored the 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shootings at a special ceremony at Town Hall Prayer Ribbons with a distinct strand of Prayer Ribbons Orlando. Each person’s name, which was inscribed in gold on a black ribbon, was read aloud. A 50th ribbon was inscribed for those injured. This strand traveled to Orlando and was shared with the families of the victims and them installed for a week in front of Orlando City Hall.For more information go to: www.swim4life.org and thecompact@comcast.net.* The Compact, sponsor of the 30th Swim for Life this year, will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2018. Its mission is to nurture the well being of the community, connecting people, place and enhancing the arts, the environment and the economy. Initiatives include the Think-ubator, which shepards grass roots projects and organizations through fiscal sponsorship and management, and the overseeing of two historic dune shack residencies in the Cape Cod National Seashore.

The Compact Prayer Ribbons invited to Capitol Hill for World AIDS Day

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The Provincetown Community Compact is honored to be invited to US Congress to share the story of the Provincetown Community and our response to HIV/AIDS. Thank you.Come Visit Displays of Remembrance, Hope andSupport for 2016 World AIDS Day, December 1. Provincetown Swim for Life Prayer Ribbons Visit Capitol Hill

Photo Gallery.

Videos.

Dear Colleagues:Since the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in 1981, communities around the world have been devastated by this terrible disease. Provincetown, Massachusetts, a well- known LGBTQ resort on the tip of Cape Cod, was one of those communities that was affected and decided to fight despair with hope.Each year, the first weekend after Labor Day, Provincetown holds the Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla to raise awareness and money for local AIDS support. They have held successful events through rain or shine since 1988 and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for AIDS support services around Cape Cod. In 1993, the Swim for Life starting displaying five-foot long, multi-colored Prayer Ribbons near the race route on which swimmers write their personal thoughts about how AIDS has impacted them, their friends and/or families. The visual statements are an important, familiar and moving part of the event. The Prayer Ribbons have also been displayed around Massachusetts, including the State House in Boston.

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I am pleased the Provincetown Swim for Life Prayer Ribbons will be on display on World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1, 2016 from 11:00am-3:00pm in the Cannon Caucus Room. There will be a brief speaking program at 1pm featuring Jay Critchley, the Swim for Life founder. Members and staff are invited to come see these important symbols of the fighting the AIDS epidemic and are also encouraged to take photos and share their experience on social media.I am proud of the work members of the Provincetown community have done to raise funds, provide support for those living with, and remembering those who have died of AIDS. I hope you and your staff can attend this important event.If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Zach Dupont in Congressman Neal’s office at zach.dupont@mail.house.gov or 202-225-5601.Sincerely,Richard E. NealMember of Congress

The Compact honors Orlando nightclub victims, brings Prayer Ribbons to Orlando

Like communities across the country, Provincetown, Massachusetts was shocked and outraged by the recent massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In response, the Provincetown Community Compact (The Compact) recently memorialized the 49 victims at a special ceremony at Provincetown Town Hall. Each person’s name, which was inscribed on a black Prayer Ribbon, and age was read aloud and attached to a part of the 2,800 personal Prayer Ribbons collected over 29 years at the annual Provincetown Swim for Life. An additional ribbon was inscribed for those injured in the Orlando attack.This specially dedicated strand of Prayer Ribbons will travel to Orlando to be displayed for public viewing: Leu Gardens, November 21-27; and Orlando City Hall, November 28-December 2. Poster.        “We are honored to share this memorial strand of Prayer Ribbons with the families and the community of Orlando”, stated Compact founder and director Jay Critchley. “Provincetown is an historic arts and tourist destination and a place of pilgrimage that welcomes all people,” he continued. “Since the early 1980s, we have mourned the loss of hundreds of people to AIDS and have responded with compassion and action. We share a kinship with the Orlando community and honor their strength and resilience”.About The CompactThe Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. was established in 1993 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization as a community-building and philanthropic organization. Its mission is to advance the health and cultural well being of the year round community of outer Cape Cod – its people, the natural environment and the economy. www.thecompact.orgAbout the Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler FlotillaThe Provincetown Swim for Life, sponsored by The Compact, was established in 1988 to bring the community together and empower those affected by HIV. At this annual fundraiser, which has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community, the public is invited to honor people in their lives – both living and deceased – by inscribing a message on a five-foot long colored ribbon. These Prayer Ribbons are a visual witness to a community that has moved well beyond fear and hatred. These special fifty ribbons are the first black ribbons, and are inscribed in gold.Photos by Mike Syers.

29th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla raises an estimated $225,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community

After a stormy week of weather, the 29^th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla was greeted on Saturday with partly sunny skies, warm water and a mild Southeast breeze. This post-Labor Day community celebration and fundraiser generated an estimated 5,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community with the support of 412 swimmers, 75+ kayakers and safety boats and 150 volunteers.The event at the Boatslip Beach Club, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and organized by artist and director Jay Critchley, honored Zoe Lewis with the David Asher Volunteer Award for her years of Mermaid Brunch entertainment and her contributions to the community. Artist Bill Evaul designed this year’s t-shirt.The Prayer Ribbons installation, strung across the expansive waterfront deck of the Boatslip, included black ribbons with the names of the 49 victims and those injured in the Orlando massacre mixed into a strand of colored ribbons. A moment of silence was observed for all who have suffered from violence in the US and worldwide. Teams that participated in the event included Team4Pulse, LANES Boston, Wellesley High School, Harry’s Team Bell, Fitzy’s Mermaids and Moving Violations Motorcycle Club.Handcrafted medallions by Christie Andressen of Taqua Glassworks and Kaolin Davis were awarded to swimmers who have swum ten times or raised $10,000 in pledges. Circle of Honor recipients include: Brian Moynihan, Boston; Shoshanna Ehrich, Brookline; Wendell Chestnut, Melrose; Dr. Ed Nardell, Brookline; William Klessens, Salem, NH; Jorge Arroyo, Brookline; Leslie Tiffany, Chestnut Hill; Esther Kohn, Jamaica Plain; Lyne Desormeaux, NYC; Suzanne Shayer, Hartford, CT; Chris Brenner, W. Dennis; and Scott Helms, Hull.Fifty-eight swimmers and kayakers raised over one thousand dollars each in pledges and joined the $1,000 Club, receiving prizes from local businesses totaling $10,000 in value. Top fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox, $15,001; Terry Stangel, Cambridge, $9,100; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL, $8,610; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $7,007; Mark Bastian, San Miguel, Mexico, $6,418; Peter Mellett, N. Truro, $6,176; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, $5,500; and Jeff Giles, Jamaica Plain, $4,900. The top kayaker fundraiser is Maureen Desabrais of Chicopee at $2,680.Although not a race, times are recorded for personal best. The fastest male swimmer was Johann Steiner of San Francisco at 27 minutes, 43 seconds. Top female finisher was Katie McCully of Eastham, MA at 31 minutes.Abby Walker was the youngest swimmer at eight years old, swimming the distance in a “Satellite Swim” in a pool over the summer. Her dad, Jeff Walker and Gene Elizabeth Landis also did pool swims. The oldest female swimmer was Joan Nagle, 84, of Eastham, and the oldest male was Robert Callender, 74, of Tiburon, CA.Other weekend events included the festive Celebration of Life Concert the night before the Swim at the UU Meeting House, produced by John Thomas, and, the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck following the Swim.Special thanks go to volunteer crews from Seamen’s Bank, Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services and Far Land Provisions who catered the event. The Swim also thanks Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore lifeguards and support from Provincetown TV, Provincetown Aquasports, transport boats Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing, John Salvatore, Schooner Hindu, Provincetown Marina and Flyer’s Boat Rentals.This year’s Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Accessible Provincetown, Cape Cod Children’s Place and the West End Racing Club.Event sponsors include: Lead Sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, and Media Sponsor, Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, Berta Walker Gallery and support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.The 30th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 9, 2017.

Swim for Life Volunteer Award presented to Zoe Lewis

She grew up in Rottingdean, a small fishing village on the south coast of England. “All the old ladies had poodles. In Provincetown it’s the young gentlemen with their tiny dogs,” Zoe Lewis explains. There are smugglers caves and tunnels under the town and the famous writer, Rudyard Kipling, lived there.It was music and wanderlust that lured her to travel the world and landed her in another fishing village across the Atlantic - twenty-seven years ago - called Provincetown. She and her gaggle of musicians will perform once again at the Mermaid Brunch at the 29^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, where she will receive the David Asher Volunteer Award. The public is invited to greet the swimmers beginning at 11:30 am, followed by the brunch and awards ceremony on Saturday, September 10 at the Boatslip Beach Club.“The Swim embraces everything I love about Provincetown: a sense of community, the giving, it’s out there, whacky,” she notes, having performed at the event for over ten years. Musicians Kate Wolf, Sylvia Richard and Roxanne Layton, and others will join her.Zoe’s a musician and a songwriter, but an entertainer at heart, mashing up world beat with jazz, vaudeville with Latin grooves, winning festival awards in Texas, Colorado and New York. She and her mix of musicians and her Rubber Band cohorts have toured with Judy Collins and the Indigo Girls, while playing gigs across the country and as far away as Tahiti.Her latest CD was released this year, The Sound of Wings.Lead sponsor of the Swim for Life is Seamen’s Bank; media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Also, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, the Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, the Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, the Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery. The event also works cooperatively with the Provincetown Chamber and Business Guild and receives support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.Please join us for the Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact that has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community. Organic, 100% cotton t-shirts designed by Bill Evaul are available for sale at Seamen’s Bank, downtown.If you have a motorized boat, we would welcome your assistance. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge!

The Provincetown Community Compact to memorialize the Orlando massacre victims with Prayer Ribbons in a public ceremony on September 6

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jay Critchley,  thecompact@comcast.netBoston Globe article.The Provincetown Community Compact (The Compact) will memorialize the 49 Orlando victims at a special ceremony at Provincetown Town Hall on Tuesday, September 6 at 1:00 p.m. Each person’s name will be inscribed on a black Prayer Ribbon, then read aloud and attached to the 2,800 Prayer Ribbons accumulated over 25 years at the annual Provincetown Swim for Life. An additional ribbon will be inscribed for those injured in the Orlando attack.After the ceremony at Town Hall, the Prayer Ribbons will be carried in procession to the Provincetown Public Library front lawn to be displayed through Friday, September 9. They will then be installed at the Boatslip Beach Club deck for the Swim for Life on Saturday, September 10.“Like communities across the country, Provincetown was shocked and outraged by the recent massacre at a gay Orlando nightclub,” said Jay Critchley, founder of Provincetown Community Compact. “Since the early 1980s, Provincetown has mourned the loss of hundreds of people to AIDS and has responded with compassion and action. We share a kinship with the Orlando community and honor their strength and resilience.”The public will also be invited to inscribe ribbons to honor victims of violence from communities across the US.The Compact is looking for 49 individuals to participate in the ceremony. Please contact thecompact@comcast.netAbout The CompactThe Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. was established in 1993 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization by Jay Critchley as a community-building and philanthropic organization to support living artists and the vitality of the arts community.Its mission is to advance the health and cultural well being of the year round community of Provincetown and the Lower Cape – its people, the natural environment and the economy. The Compact also acts as a “Think-ubator” (incubator), offering fiscal sponsorship for social, environmental and artistic projects, and manages two dune shack residencies in the Cape Cod National Seashore.For more information on The Compact: www.thecompact.orgAbout the Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler FlotillaThe Provincetown Swim for Life was established in 1988 to bring the community together and empower those affected by HIV. At this annual fundraiser, which has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community, the public is invited to honor people in their lives by inscribing a message on a colored ribbon. These Prayer Ribbons are a visual witness to a community that has moved well beyond fear and hatred. These special fifty ribbons will be the first black ribbons, and will be inscribed in silver and gold.www.swim4life.org

Swim for Life brings Eugene O'Neill back to town

PROVINCETOWN BANNER.  Have you noticed the number of local Centennials recently? Not surprising, we’re in the Centennial Decade, 1910-1920. That decade brought us the Pilgrim Monument, the Art Association & Museum (PAAM), the Provincetown Players, the Beachcombers and to cap it off, the 400^th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims arrives in 2020. It was also the Progressive Era in the US, so clearly articulated in Provincetown resident Adelle Heller’s book, co-written by Louis Rudnick, “1915, The Cultural Moment”, featuring the artists, writers, Communists and activists who descended upon our little spiral spit of sand.Provincetown has inspired two of America’s premier, Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams. This year is the Centennial of O’Neill’s debut as a playwright, right here on an east end wharf. The community has responded with numerous events, and the Swim for Life joins them. For this year’s design, we chose a simple, elegant line drawing by local artist, Bill Evaul, who also designed the 1999 Swim artwork of a white-line block print of the Rose Dorothea. His work is presently featured in a major exhibition at PAAM, and he also has block prints at the Pilgrim Monument of O-Neill, George Cram Cook and Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Glaspell, major figures in Provincetown’s radical theater experiment.Swim for Life t-shirts - 100% organic cotton - with Bill’s design are available at Seamen’s Bank, downtown.O’Neill was friends with the Jack Reed, a Communist/journalist, whose book on the Russian Revolution, “Ten Days That Shook the World”, inspired The Compact’s pre-demolition happening at Herring Cove Bathhouse in 2012. O’Neill was a consummate swimmer and famously lived out in the dunes for many summers, entertaining a stream of Greenwich Village visitors. The Compact presently manages two of the 18 dune shacks, with funded weeks for artists and writers.The Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. The event supports: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and Helping Our Women (primary beneficiaries); and, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Heath Services, The Compact Community Fund, Accessible Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.Lead business sponsor is Seamen’s Bank; media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery.For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge!

Children's Place and West End Racing Club added to list

PROVINCETOWN BANNER. The Swim for Life, founded in 1988, fits nicely into the mission of the Provincetown Community Compact, its sponsor: to enhance the well being of the community.The AIDS Support Group and Helping Our Women remain the primary beneficiaries of this post-Labor Day fundraiser, and many other organizations have received funds on a continuous basis: the Soup Kitchen, Outer Cape Heath Services, Provincetown Schools, The Compact Community Fund, Lower Cape Ambulance and Provincetown Rescue Squad. For two years we committed funds for the Youth Reach program at PAAM, and last year we included support for a new organization, Accessible Provincetown.This year we have selected two new organizations: Cape Cod Children’s Place in Eastham, and the West End Racing Club.On a recent sunny afternoon I visited the West End Racing Club and met longtime leaders, Susan Avellar and Dan Hoeflinger, perched on the upper level of the waterfront clubhouse. Founded in the 1950s, the organization employs a rigorous peer program for eight to fourteen year olds who climb up the ranks by mentoring each other. A life-long project of the late Flyer Santos, the non-profit’s goal is “to teach the area children how to swim, sail and be safe around the water”, according its Facebook page. This is good news for the future of the Swim since about half of adolescents and adults do not know how to swim.All the Senior Sailing Instructors, who will soon be return to college, have been with the program for eight to fourteen years, each acquiring the needed skills and leadership along the way. Tristan Loughlin will return to the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Sara Rivera, born and raised in Provincetown, will continue studies at the University of Maine at Machias, Jessica Kent returns to Simmons College in Boston, and Luke Giacomo will head back to England.The 29^th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor set for September 10, has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. The public is invited to the Celebration of Life concert at the Meeting House on Friday, September 9 at 8:00pm. On Saturday, September 10, the public is welcome to greet the swimmers at the Boatslip Beach Club beginning at 11:30am, and partake of the Mermaid Brunch and awards ceremony that follows.The lead business sponsor is Seamen’s Bank, the media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery.For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge!

Provincetown Community Compact presents the Swim for Life

Begun in 1988, the Swim for Life immediately took on a life of its own. The enthusiasm of our community and the urgent need to confront AIDS forged a bond that has continued to strengthen over 30 years. By 1992, 128 swimmers raised $35,000 for the Provincetown AIDS Support Group and People with AIDS Coalition. An official non-profit entity was needed and in 1993 the Provincetown Community Compact was born to anchor this growing event and provide a much-needed resource for nascent community projects.The mission of The Compact was expansive: to advance the health and cultural well being of the year round Provincetown community and the Lower Cape – its people, the natural environment and the economy. This would come to include the management of two dune shacks in the Cape Cod National Seashore for the general public, with designated weeks for visual artists and writers, one with a 0 fellowship. The Swim for Life began funding annual week stays for clients of the AIDS Support Group and Helping Our Women.The Compact also has initiated special projects in the community, notably, the pre-demolition Meadows Motel installations, which transformed an affordable destination into artist installations that spoke to loss, transformation and community identity. The Herring Cove Bathhouse project in 2012, Ten Days That Shook the World, co-sponsored by Ewa Nogiec’s Ten Day of Art, brought 50 creatives and 30 events and performances to this crumbling symbol of a changing environment and community. There was overwhelming public response.The Compact’s Think-ubator program, which provides a non-profit umbrella and consultation to individuals and groups, has nurtured several significant organizations that became independent non-profits: Provincetown International Film Festival, Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Cape Cod Modern House Trust and Bark Park.The Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988.Lead business sponsor is Seamen’s Bank; media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery.For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge! 

Swim for Life to honor Orlando victims

Provincetown Banner, June 30, 2016.  Organized to fight HIV/AIDS, rampant homophobia and an unresponsive government and medical system, the Swim for Life will honor the victims of the Orlando massacre at its September 10 fundraiser. The name of each victim, and those injured, will be inscribed on a colored ribbon and added to the 2,800 ribbons that honor both those who have died and those whom we love. Families, friends and allies around the world will also be remembered. The fight against AIDS gave birth to Prayer Ribbona and they speak to the whole community.

It was mostly gay men who were devastated in the early decade of the AIDS pandemic. But activist men and women fought and demanded action. We changed the way healthcare is delivered in the country. And Provincetown was at the forefront of this battle: caring for the sick and fighting for humane and non-discriminatory treatments.

At its inception, the Swim for Life chose to support the activist Provincetown People with AIDS (PWA) Coalition, which espoused self-empowerment and challenged the unresponsiveness of traditional healthcare. The AIDS Support Group was added as a beneficiary and then Helping Our Women. We presently support a holistic model of community health: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod and Helping Our Women (primary beneficiaries); and, Provincetown Schools, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Heath Services, The Compact Community Fund, Accessible Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.

The Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a 1.4-mile swim across Provincetown Harbor, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988.Lead business sponsor is Seamen’s Bank; media sponsor is the Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club and Berta Walker Gallery.For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Take the Plunge!

Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla Sept 10, 2016

Greetings

Swimmers, Kayakers, Boaters, Volunteers and Friends,

First, in this time of horrendous violence, I'd like to thank you for being part of the Swim for Life community. We are hope!

Summer weather is slowly moving in and the harbor and town are coming to life.  Hope you all had a splendid winter and spring and are gearing up to be outside and in or on the water. We look forward to your presence at the 29th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla on September 10. Yes # 29!This community tradition and fundraiser is for AIDS, women's health & the community - sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact.

For this year's event we invited artist Bill Evaul to help us celebrate the Centennial of the Provincetown Players and playwright Eugene O'Neill's debut play, Bound East for Cardiff,  produced  on a wharf in Provincetown in 1916. And O'Neill was an avid swimmer too!**

We are initiating a voluntary pre-registration process this year to assist us with accurate and legible data collection. Swimmers will still need to register on September 10 to confirm your pledges and receive your cap, number and t-shirt. Volunteers, please sign up by mid August if possible.Thank you all for keeping a special place in your heart for Provincetown.Watch for periodic updates before the big event.

Have a fun summer.

Peace,

Jay Critchley

PS. The short film, Ribbons, by Brandon Cordeiro, inspired by the Swim for Life, is featured at this week's Provincetown Film Fest!

** The Provincetown Players are credited with revolutionizing American theater. O'Neill  went on to win three Pulitzer Prizes and was also named Nobel Laureate. He lived in an old Coast Guard Station in the dunes for many years and his legacy was influential in preserving the historic dune shacks in the Cape Cod National Seashore. And O'Neill was an avid swimmer too!

The Provincetown Community Compact, which sponsors the Swim, manages two dune shacks primarily devoted to perpetuating arts and community in this unique, pristine environment: C-Scape and Fowler. It also supports community projects through its "Think-ubator" program.

Sunny skies greet 28th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla; an estimated $200,000 raised for AIDS, women’s health & the community

PROVINCETOWN, MA. After two days of torrential rain and wind, the Provincetown annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla emerged on Saturday to clear blue skies, bright sunshine and warm and friendly water. In its 28^th year, this traditional, post-Labor Day event generated an estimated 0,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community with the support of 404 swimmers, 75+ kayakers and safety boats and 150 volunteers. Swimmers came from across the US, Canada, London and Bulgaria.

The Mystic makes a dramatic visit to Long Point for Swim start!

The event at the Boatslip Beach Club, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and organized by director Jay Critchley, honored two swimmers who have swum 25 times: Joe Stewart of Baltimore and Bill Silvestri of Boston. They were presented jackets imprinted with, The Compact Long Point Award 2015. The annual David Asher Volunteer Award was presented to Far Land Provisions, owned by Tom Boland and Jim Farley, for their community business and involvement and their long time catering of the post-Swim Mermaid Brunch. Jim has also swum fourteen times.Provincetown artist Zehra Khan created the 2015 Swim for Life design.Each year, handcrafted medallions by Christie Andressen of Taqua Glassworks are given to swimmers who have swum ten times or raised $10,000 in pledges. Circle of Honor recipients include: Michael Lynch, Boston; Chris Brenner, West Dennis; Chris Perry, and Peter Mellett, North Truro; Gail Greenwood, Waterford, CT; Jackie Palmer, Acton, MA; Linda Heard, and Janet Villas, Bloomfield, NJ; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL; and Nancy Civetta, Wellfleet, MA.Fifty-two swimmers and kayakers raised over one thousand dollars each in pledges and joined the $1,000 Club and received prizes from local businesses totaling $10,000 in value. Top eight fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA at $ 13,482; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown, $8,501; Ed Moore, Boston, $6,800; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL, $6,915; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $5,450; Peter Mellett, North Truro, MA, $5,400; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, $5,125; Mark Bastian, Boston, $4,455.Abby Walker and Zoe Galaburda, seven years old, swam the 1.4 miles distance in a pool over the summer as a “Satellite Swim” and raised over $2,000. And Mark Kitteredge of Randolph, MA collected 14,500 bottles and cans and raised $747.50 for the Swim.Although not a race, times are recorded for personal best. The fastest male swimmer was Justin Burkhardt of Portland, ME at 28 minutes, 27 seconds. Top female finisher was Kristen Read of Kennebunk, ME at 29 minutes, 25 seconds.Other weekend events included the festive Celebration of Life Concert the night before the Swim at the UU Meeting House, produced by John Thomas, and, the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck following the Swim. Zoe Lewis provided entertainment. The awards ceremony was assisted Tom Donegan, Chair of the Board of Selectmen.Special thanks go to volunteer crews from Seamen’s Bank, Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services and Far Land Provisions who catered the event, Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore lifeguards and support from Provincetown Rescue Squad, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, US Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster, Mayflower Trolley, Ptown Trolley, Provincetown TV, Provincetown Aquasports, transport boats Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing, John Salvatore, Mystic, along with Flyer’s Boat Rentals.Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Youth Art Reach at Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Rescue Squad and Accessible Provincetown.Event sponsors include: Lead Sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media Sponsor, Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.The 29th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 10, 2016.

Far Land Provisions receives Swim for Life Volunteer Award

The Red Rooster at Far Land Provisions is delightfully crowing this summer. Now in its twelfth year, with a second location at Herring Cove Beach, Far Land proprietors Jim Farley and Tom Boland have reached their goal of creating a nexus of the year round community. Witness the phenomenal response to their free Sunset Music on the Beach series at the bathhouse which attract 3-400 people per show. Their “more than a corner grocery store“ has been supporting the Swim for Life all those years, catering the free, post-Swim Mermaid Brunch at the Boatslip, open to the community, for 700+ swimmers, volunteers, kayakers and a crowd welcoming swimmers on shore. Not to mention that Jim has swum across the 1.4-mile distance 14 times since 1991.Far Land Provisions has been selected to receive the Swim for Life David Asher Volunteer Award, given to individuals, groups or businesses that have contributed to the Swim for Life and to the vitality of the community. It will be presented on September 12 at the awards ceremony following the Mermaid Brunch. Past recipients include: Boatslip Beach Club, Susan Roderick, Jim Rann, Steve Roderick, Donna Flax, Brian Cabral, Wayne Ryerson, George Libone, Jan Kelly, Joy McNulty, Ann Maguire, Madeline Miller, Raymond Johnson, Patrick Finn and the Provincetown Rescue Squad.Tom and Jim met in the Berkshires in the mid 1980s, and by the early 1990s they were partners and committed to living in Provincetown. Tom put his Masters in Historical Preservation to good use, collaborating with Ginny Binder at Binder Boland Associates, whose design work included the rebuilding of Whaler’s Wharf, and projects at Brass Key Guest House, Schoolhouse Center and Truro Town Hall. Jim worked with the Visiting Nurse Association as a Registered Nurse in the early 1990s and then went on to earn a Masters in Nursing to become a Nurse Practitioner, working at Outer Cape Health Services for five years. But they wanted bigger challenges and decided to open Far Land to support year round jobs and enhance the sense of community. They have sixteen year round employees, bumping up to forty plus in the summer.Besides being a longtime business sponsor of the Swim for Life, they also support the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, and Tom sits on the Provincetown Theater board and Jim on the Lower Cape Ambulance board. An example of their community spirit and compassion is the critical help they provided for a longtime employee from Kosovo who had life-threatening kidney failure. They facilitated his visits to the emergency room and a Boston hospital for surgery. They have set up a fund with YouCaring for his care.

Bill Silvestri, 25-year swimmer, receives The Compact Long Point Award

At its core, the Swim for Life, now in its 28^th year, is a community event that spreads its largesse to numerous non-profit organizations that help create a healthy and sustainable community.The event relies, in large part, on swimmers who have made the Swim a priority in their lives and return year after year. This year two swimmers will reach a milestone in their commitment to Provincetown, swimmers who have swum twenty-five times: Bill Silvestri, from Dorchester, and Joe Stewart, from Baltimore. They will be honored at the September 12 event at the Boatslip with the Long Point Award, presented by the Provincetown Community Compact.I asked Bill a few questions:- When did you start swimming?My parents taught me how to swim as a baby. Soon after, they would fight with me to get out of the water because my lips would be blue.I feel totally connected with life and nature every day I swim. It is hard to describe the different textures and palette of colors seen when you swim at different times day or night.- What do you like about swimming?I was smoking upwards of two packs of cigarettes a day and leading a rather sedentary life and realized I was headed for trouble. Soon after I quit I met Jim Doty, a legendary swimmer and one of the founders of NE Marathon Swimming. He asked me to join a relay team in the Boston Light Marathon Swim. His encouragement helped me to do something I never, ever thought possible. Then he suggested the Swim for Life.- What was your first Swim for Life like?  I was terrified, but it turned out to be one of the greatest thrills of my life. I just knew I would be back the following year.- Why do you do the Swim for Life?I have felt a connection with the Provincetown community ever since my first swim. I love the camaraderie and feel strongly about supporting the causes that receive funds from the swim. As a musician, I am a strong supporter of the arts and the Provincetown Community Compact's philanthropic efforts to preserve the special character that is Provincetown.  My late brother, Jim, absolutely loved joining me every year for the swim. It was our "brother weekend" away. The year the Tibetan monks were there was pivotal for him finding peace before he passed.Bill’s long-time partner, Somchai Darnsirichaiswad, will be completing his eleventh consecutive Swim this year.

25-year swimmer, Joe Stewart, receives The Compact Long Point Award

“I was inspired to organize and coordinate the Maryland Swim for Life – now in its 24^th year - by my first Provincetown Swim for Life.” So states legendary activist swimmer Joe Stewart of Baltimore, who has employed his love of swimming and the environment to organize a handful of open water swims in the Chesapeake Bay area. He and Bill Silvestri will be the first to complete twenty-five Swims for Life this year on September 12, but that’s only the beginning for him. Both swimmers will receive the Long Point Award from the Provincetown Community Compact, Swim sponsors.Photo: Bill & Joe.Chesapeake Bay is a complex, ecologically and economically important natural resource with 150 rivers and streams flowing into it. The northern Bay is Maryland territory where Joe has swum numerous times - from eight to thirteen miles – for AIDS and environmental causes. He organized the “For the River’s Sake” swim in 1993, which evolved into the ongoing “Potomac River Swim for the Environment”, the Eastern Shore Marathon Swim and the Patapsco River Swim, which focused on the urban watershed.I asked Joe a few questions:What do you like about swimming?I like the feeling of being “outside gravity”, the meditative Zen frame of mind that I can get when doing laps in a pool or out in open water and the mind-body-spirit exercise I get through swimming.\What was your first Swim for Life like?Inspiring and joyful.How has the Swim evolved/changed since your first swims?The number of participants has increased which has its own challenges and rewards. The celebratory spirit and sense of community has remained an integral ingredient to the Swim over time.It has become an annual ritual, which I look forward to and enjoy.What has kept you so passionate about it for so long?The sense of community, celebratory spirit and feeling of accomplishment, especially with other liked-minded people, keeps bringing me back. Perhaps I should state the obvious: Provincetown is a very special place - one of the most beautiful natural places there is - with a very sophisticated but small town charm.