Last August, PCV Advisor Blair Cannon swam 21 miles across the Catalina Channel in the middle of the night, without a wetsuit. He braved treacherous water, jellyfish stings, sea sickness and broken ribs with only two goals in mind: 1) to finish and 2) to raise money and awareness for the Monarch School in San Diego, the only K-12 school in the United States that exclusively serves homeless youth. As if his bravery and altruistic efforts weren’t enough to have us in awe, Blair also posted the 4th fastest time in history for the swim. Check out the video below to see Blair prepare for the Catalina Channel Challenge:
After raising $110,000(!!) and seeing the enthusiasm of the children at the Monarch School, Blair has decided to brave another long-distance ocean swim to benefit these children. This time, he will swim around the island of Manhattan – a 28.5 mile swim – in 65 degree water. Did we mention that he’ll do it without a wetsuit again? And that he is only one of 40 swimmers globally that qualified and was selected to complete in the prestigious annual swim race?! Wow!
We at PCV feel so incredibly grateful to have the chance to work with such selfless and dedicated individuals like Blair Cannon, who are literally willing to go the extra mile to help communities in need. In addition to helping the children at Monarch School, Blair has been a PCV advisor since 2011 – helping San Diego business owners get out and stay out of financial trouble, and allowing them to retain and create jobs in San Diego’s lower income communities.
We wish him the best of luck in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, and will be cheering him on from California! If you would like to support Blair in his fundraising efforts, please visit his website here.