The staff at Goldfish Swim School doesn’t just teach thousands of children about water safety. While making sure kids develop a love of the water – and learn invaluable safety skills – our staffers also have hearts of gold.

Why, you ask?

Every year, the Goldfish Swim School staff competes in a swim meet – splashing and racing – all to raise money for charity. But this year, the focus was a bit more personal. The staff swim meet, held June 21, 2014 at the Clarkston location, was held to raise money for a married mother of two young children who works as a front desk staffer at the Birmingham Goldfish Swim School.

Fighting ALS

The employee, who has ALS, will use the money to pay for holistic treatments, said Tiffany Miller, Director of Operations for Goldfish Swim School. So what is ALS? Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, often called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The money raised all came from private donations.

Swim Meet Basics and Prizes

At the swim meet, each location – most of the company’s 14 Goldfish Swim Schools made the trek – formed a team. Some locations that are sister schools, like Okemos and Ann Arbor, partnered up. With the theme of “Disney,” the teams donned matching T-shirts from popular movies like “Frozen” and “Peter Pan” and hopped in the pool.

“Everyone gets really rowdy,” Tiffany said. “It’s a really good time.”

There were a bunch of different races: Events like freestyle, relays, butterfly and backstroke, to name a few.

The teams were competing for a cup that will be displayed for a year in the winning location. This year, the “St. Roscoeham” team (made up of staffers from Birmingham, St. Charles and Roscoe Village) took top honors.

There was also a belly flop contest (Justin B. from Birmingham stole the show) and a prize for the team that raised the most money (Team Birmingham took the honors, raising $3,500 for their fellow staffer).

After Party

After tearing up the pool, staffers relaxed and had a party with hot dogs, chips, pop and music. About 80 people attended the private event, Tiffany said.

Staff Bonding

Since most staffers are former competitive swimmers, Tiffany said the event is one of the few chances they get to compete and show off their skills. The staffers look forward to the annual event as a time to relax, bond, compete and give back to the community.

“It’s fun,” she said. “And it’s for a great cause.”