Support a Campaign

Swim With Mike helps young men and women who have been dealt a major setback. I'm willing to support them with this fundraising effort because they have to be willing to work hard and help themselves for this to work. And after doing this for 20 years, I can see that it works.

  A community wide event supporting the Swim With Mike Scholarship Fund.

Help Cole help other athletes no longer able to compete in their sports due to life-changing accidents better their future by receiving a college scholarship!

I am raising money because I believe in the cause and have become very close to people this organization helps. I have played baseball for 17 years of my life, and could not imagine what I would do without it. I appreciate the game, and I have learned, while volunteering for this amazing organization, that it is not something that should be taken for granted. I have listened to multiple personal stories about athletes who go through a complete life altering occurrence and must find a way to cope with their injuries. Swim With Mike gives physically disabled athletes a support system to rely on and creates an easier transition post injury, and is an organization that I would want to be in existence if I could not play the game I love anymore. I understand how sports can influence and change a person's life, so I want to help out those who can no longer express their love for the game by playing it how they used to.

A Swim With Mike (SWM) scholarship changed my life.

I was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident when I was only thirteen years old. One second I was an active kid, playing basketball, riding mountain bikes, and snowboarding. The next second I was a quadriplegic, unable to move or feel anything below my chest. I struggled even to breathe. I broke my neck at the C4/C5 level and sustained a spinal cord injury. I spent almost four months in the hospital and when I returned home I had to learn a whole new way of life. I started high school using a wheelchair and I needed an aide to take notes and to help me get around campus. I studied hard and achieved a 4.3 GPA. I also went to physical rehabilitation every day after school to try to recover function and movement. Fortunately, I made great progress and I can now live independently. But I also expended all of my family's resources on uninsured medical expenses, leaving little for education.

Thankfully, I learned about the Swim With Mike scholarship fund. I started supporting SWM events in high school. Eventually, I applied to college and was accepted at USC and awarded a SWM scholarship myself. It was a dream come true. Last year I graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering. In May 2019 I will receive a Masters in materials engineering. I am currently searching for a career opportunity in materials sciences.

I could not dream this big without SWM. Please help SWM provide scholarship funds for physically challenged athletes. You will change the lives of students challenged by paralysis, blindness, and amputation. Thank you so much for helping.

I am going to be swimming at the 39th annual Swim With Mike event at USC on April 6th, and I am asking for your help in raising some funds for this great organization.

In case you're not familiar with SWM, they are a non-profit that gives scholarships to student athletes who become physically challenged due to tragic injuries such as paralysis.

It has personal meaning for me because my brother Daryl was the recipient of a SWM scholarship after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while in college. I have seen first hand how difficult it is for an athlete like Daryl to transition to a life of previously unimaginable circumstances, yet how inspiring it is as they overcome countless obstacles and achieve huge successes.

Today Daryl is an awesome high school teacher and is constantly pouring into others. I am thankful for how SWM helped Daryl and other students like him.

I am not a great swimmer, but I am going to push hard for this and plan to swim at least 2 miles!

Your donation will truly make an impact, and is tax deductible in the USA.

Thanks for your support,

Eric Holmlund

Here's a couple pictures of me and my two brothers at last year's SWM fundraiser...

(The picture at the top of this page is of two my kids and their uncle Daryl, taken last year in Alaska. The video is a music video that I put together for a song written and performed by Daryl. He is also a talented musician and has recorded a few albums.)

One aspect of the injury I sustained that many people don’t think about is the ongoing expenses that have been added to my daily life. These expenses only add on to the pile of expenses I have faced in my decision to pursue my college education. For me and many of the other athletes that are members of this organization, because of our injuries, it is not realistic for us to be able to work jobs while maintaining a full course load at school.  This scholarship is a huge blessing that helps relieve the financial burden of attending college. After 4 years of receiving this scholarship, I cannot begin to say how thankful I am for all that this organization has done for me. I am asking you lease to help me raise money to give back to this organization so that they can continue to provide support for the many other student athletes to come. 

Swim With Mike has a long history with our family peripherally.  We've supported the good work of this organization for 20+ years and love the positive impact this has on lending a hand up, not a hand out, to those with unfortunate physical challenges so they may be more productive members of our society.  Education is the key to bettering ourselves and those around us.  Swim With Mike filled a narrow gap, and has expanded to reach a wider range of important people who just want financial assistance to fulfill their educational and professional dreams, and helping others along the way.  Please lend a hand up.

My daughter was 15-months old, and I was passionate about my job as a Police Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, when my life radically changed when I was shot and paralyzed from the chest down during a foot pursuit of a robbery suspect.  The injury impacted virtually every aspect of my life.  

Swim with Mike provides possibility for myself and so many others offering opportunity through education.  Thanks to all of your support for Swim with Mike, I will graduate this May 2019 from USC with my Masters of Social Work.  

By making a donation you can help change the lives of others, who encounter sudden life-changing spinal cord injuries.  Your support can provide valuable education and opportunity for so many.  Even the smallest donation helps.  Help support Swim with Mike!

Growing up as an athlete, pursuing a sports scholarship for college was always part of my plan. When I was 16 years old I was a passenger in a rollover car accident and I sustained a spinal cord injury at T10 leaving me paralyzed below my waist. In the months and years that followed my accident, all my future plans were brought into question. I began to wonder what affording college would look like without an athletic scholarship. That's when I found Swim With Mike. Swim With Mike became a light for me in what seemed like a dark tunnel. This organization has not only helped me fund my college education, but has also introduced me to the most amazing people, board members and recipients alike. Having the opportunity to help Swim with Mike raise money for this years events allows me to help this great organization continue to be a light for other athletes like me.

I have been involved with Swim with Mike since I started at USC 13 yrs ago!  I have volunteered in many different aspects of the event.  This year Swim with Mike is a day before my birthday and  it would be nice if all my friends would make a donation for this great cause!  In case you don't know Swim with Mike raises money for scholarships for physically challenged athletes. Not only do the recipients attend USC, they also attend universities all over the country.  Please donate and also come down to the event on April 6, 2019 at USC!

Christy, Ellen and Stacey are NCL, Inc. Conejo Valley Chapter friends who want to extend their FIGHT ON Spirit of Troy to physically challenged athletes across the country.  After tragedy, getting back to education is getting back to life.  Education leads to independence.  Independence fosters self-worth.  Self-worth welcomes love!  Thanks in advance for participating in our campaign and FIGHT ON!

- Christy Wyatt, Ellen Burson and Stacey Stephens

In my second year at USC, I suffered a spinal cord injury and was forced to put my entire life on hold. Now, not only am I back for the third year, but am thriving in all aspects. I have a summer internship lined up and am planning a semester abroad. I am part of an adaptive pilates program near my hometown and still pushing myself as hard as ever. Being out and about around campus, Greek row, and downtown LA keeps me moving and motivated daily.

I have been able to continue on at USC in large part due to Swim With Mike's support! Please donate to help others in my physical situation be able to keep pursuing their college ambition!

Each and every day, I'm inspired by these who have overcome catastrophic accidents/illnesses to continue their education, and in so doing, serve as examples to us all. No matter how many reasons there might be, just never, ever quit.

Schedule of Events

After sustaining a cervical spinal cord injury in December 2002, Swim with Mike was instrumental in my life by supporting me during Chemical Engineering programs in undergrad at Bucknell University and grad school at UT-Austin. With the many challenges imposed by such a life-changing injury, the financial support from SWM helped me to reach my educational goals. I subsequently landed a rewarding job in the Oil Refining industry as a chemical engineer in Research & Development.

In seven years of employment in Oklahoma, I have had the opportunity to apply process modeling that I learned at Bucknell and UT. I continued in the area of my dissertation with CO2 Capture technology development, and I branched into classic ChemE with optimization and model development for current refinery units. It's exciting to have landed a job that was in my pre-injury life plan.

I recognize the important role that education has played in my life, and I’d love to continue to give back to aspiring college students with physical disabilities. Please help me contribute to the amazing students that Swim with Mike supports!

After sustaining a cervical spinal cord injury in December 2002, Swim with Mike was instrumental in my life by supporting me during Chemical Engineering programs in undergrad at Bucknell University and grad school at UT-Austin. With the many challenges imposed by such a life-changing injury, the financial support from SWM helped me to reach my educational goals. I subsequently landed a rewarding job in the Oil Refining industry as a chemical engineer in Research & Development.

In seven years of employment in Oklahoma, I have had the opportunity to apply process modeling that I learned at Bucknell and UT. I continued in the area of my dissertation with CO2 Capture technology development, and I branched into classic ChemE with optimization and model development for current refinery units. It's exciting to have landed a job that was in my pre-injury life plan.

I recognize the important role that education has played in my life, and I’d love to continue to give back to aspiring college students with physical disabilities. Please help me contribute to the amazing students that Swim with Mike supports!

I am raising money for Swim with Mike because of their financial support in helping people with disabilities obtain an education. The SWM organization has given many students the support and guidance needed to move forward with their educational plans while minimizing the crushing student debt that often ensues. This pursuit is important to me as a recipient and on principle. I hope you can join us on this journey, as a supporter and a friend.

Hello,

Please, help Swim With Mike provide a means for athletes with disabilities to stay off the sidelines and in the game!

Your contribution, big or small, is very appreciated!

Thanks!

We love raising money for the recipients of SWM. What a great organization that has helped over 200 physically challenged athletes meet their higher education goals. Way to go team!

Annie Ruth and I so appreciate you supporting our campaign!!!

Fight on!

Annie and EW