Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Swim With Mike Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund based at USC is the only program of its kind in the country. Inspired by USC alum Mike Nyeholt, who was an All-American swimmer before being paralyzed in a motorcycle accident, the program seeks to empower recipients to achieve self-sufficiency while refocusing their lives and rediscovering who they are and what they can accomplish.

Since its inception in 1981, Swim With Mike has provided 46 full scholarships to USC and five other universities through its fundraising activities that include an annual swim day at USC's McDonalds Swim Stadium. The program has received support by past Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton as well as celebrities such as Christopher Reeve, Tommy Lasorda and "Hercules" actor Kevin Sorbo.

Longtime Swim With Mike donor Loretta Joseph first learned of the program as a USC alumna, and got her two children involved in the annual swim fundraiser as preschoolers. Members of Our Lady of Grace Church in Encino, the Joseph children, Paul, 15, and Jennifer, 13, have collected Swim With Mike donations for over ten years. Their participation is especially meaningful this year, since Paul's fellow Crespi classmate, Mike McNamara, became a Swim With Mike recipient.

"The reason why we got the children involved was to learn to appreciate what God has given us and to respect those who have been suddenly confronted with physical challenges," said Joseph. "For Paul and Jennifer to have been so willing to help others in need, it's been thrilling to know that a member of our Crespi family is benefiting from our efforts. Upon learning of Mike McNamara's scholarship, our family cried tears of happiness."

For more information on the Swim With Mike program and its April 8, 2006 swim fundraiser at USC, log on to www.swimwithmike.org.

---Paula Doyle