Hobcaw Yacht Club’s summer swim team, the Hobcaw Marlins, sponsored a swim-a-thon on Friday, June 27, 2008, to raise money for a specially-trained service dog for Smith Pruitt, an HYC child with autism.  Smith’s twin sister, Emily, is an 11-year-old swimmer on the Marlins team.

The Pruitts are working with the Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, an organization based in Columbia to obtain a trained dog for Smith.  The mission of PAALS is: enriching and empowering children and adults with physical disabilities and social needs by training service animals. PAALS representatives and service dogs were on hand at the swim-a-thon as well as information about their services and about autism. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.

The Hobcaw swimmers, who range in age from 4-18, swam a total of 4606 lengths, or about 64 miles. The swimmers were motivated and energized by the cause, and many swam more laps than they planned. Many swimmers like Smith’s sister, Emily, came to the pool with a goal of swimming 30 laps and actually completed 100 laps.  Other swimmers and parents made and sold bake sale items including treats for dogs during the swim-a-thon and later during the Supper Club at HYC.  Over $6,000 of donations and pledges as well as bake sale proceeds have been raised so far.

The Hobcaw Marlins are the largest swim team in the Coastal Carolina Aquatic Association, with approximately 200 swimmers. They wanted to use this opportunity to let the team use their abilities in swimming to benefit another child.