CAPITAL REGION GROUP PLANS 2ND ANNUAL

CROWN POINT-TO-ALBANY CHAMPLAIN CANAL SWIM

TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH FUND

Seven Local Residents to ‘Swim the Canal for Kid’s Mental Health’ July 18-22

ALBANY, NY ─ Seven Capital Region residents will swim the Champlain Canal and Hudson River from the historic lighthouse at Crown Point to Albany this July to heighten awareness of children’s mental health issues and raise money to support the Children’s Mental Health Fund.

Working in partnership with Four Winds Saratoga and the University at Albany Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, the Children’s Mental Health Fund supports outreach programs to assist children, parents, educators, and medical professionals in twelve surrounding counties of the Capital Region. The swim is being sponsored by the Upstate New York Chapter of the NFL Alumni, Inc.

The group had tremendous success with the swim last year and has decided to swim the same route again for 2007. This year, the swimmers will move about six miles to the north to take advantage of the historic surroundings of the lighthouse and docks.

The 112-mile swim will be completed in alternating half-hour shifts, starting in Crown Point on Lake Champlain on Wednesday, July 18 and arriving in Albany on Sunday, July 22. The participants are asking for financial and in kind support from local businesses and corporate donors, as well as donations from individuals.

The local swimmers got to know each other over 6:30 a.m. swim workouts at the Greenbush Area YMCA and range in age from their early thirties through early fifties. The group includes Alison Heaphy, communication manager for the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany; Steven Kirk, owner of a municipal planning consulting firm; David Vessie, a mapping software specialist, Cheryl Mugno, an attorney for the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities; Peggy Phillips, a hydrologic technician for the U.S. Geological Survey; architect Dave Sadowsky; and game company executive Dan Wall.

The Children’s Mental Health Fund was established in 2006 by the Upstate Chapter of the NFL Alumni, Inc, in partnership with Four Winds Saratoga and Psychiatric Services, the outpatient and residential mental health facility, and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany. The Fund will provide financial support for existing outreach programs at Four Winds and the UAlbany Center that are designed to help meet the needs of children with mental illness and to provide specialized services and technical assistance to families, educators, and community professionals such as school nurses, psychiatrists, and pediatricians.

One of the parents who will be completing the swim and sits on the NFL Alumni Executive Board of Directors has a child with a mental illness. “I know first hand how difficult it is as a parent to cope day in and day out with a child affected by mental illness, and how crucial the programs offered by Four Winds and the UAlbany Center are to families and schools throughout the Capital Region,” he said.

Mental health professionals estimate that as many as half of all children and adolescents suffer from various forms of mental illness, but only ten percent are properly diagnosed and an even smaller percentage receive adequate mental health care. According to the UAlbany Center, more children than ever before are being classified as having an autism spectrum disorder and it is now the second most common serious development disability after mental retardation/intellectual impairment.

Thousands of these youth live in the Capital Region and increasingly present a major challenge to parents, community professionals, and local school districts. Programs such as those offered by Four Winds and the UAlbany Center provide a variety of specialized services and technical assistance. At the UAlbany Center, all services are free of charge and have saved local school districts nearly $3 million over a three-year period.

The Champlain Canal Swim group is pleased to acknowledge the support of Mr. Joe Berlino, Troy Dock and Forever Young Health Club which are generously coordinating the donation of a boat to serve as the support vessel for the swim. The New York State Canal Corporation is providing technical and logistical support at each of the locks to ensure the safety of the swimmers.

For further information or to find out how you to support the Champlain Canal Swim, call Steven Kirk at (518) 283-3507. Donations by check, payable to NFL Alumni, Inc., may be mailed to Champlain Canal Swim, c/o Steven Kirk, 9 Thomas Drive, Wynantskill, New York 12198.

For more information on the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, please visit www.albany.edu/psy/autism/autism.html. For more information on Four Winds Saratoga and Psychiatric Services, please visit http://www.fourwindshospital.com.

For information about news and special events along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.