Chris Harris is Swimming an Ultra Marathon
Yes! On Thursday, July 6, 2023, Chris Harris will attempt a solo, 28.5 mile, ultra-marathon swim around Manhattan in partnership with URBANSWIM.
Chris will be swimming to support three very important charities:
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+ POOL
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Have Faith Haiti
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Worldwide Orphans
Chris' lifetime passion for swimming and desire to make a positive impact on society has led him to take on this incredible challenge. He has chosen three charitable partners, each of which serves an incredibly important mission and with which he has deep personal connections.
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The swim will begin in Battery Park at 9:30 am ET and will last an entire day as Chris makes his up the East River, across the Harlem River, and down the Hudson.
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I'm in, how can I help ?
There are many ways you can help: you can donate directly through this portal and share this page and our social media links with friends
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Charitable Partners
+ POOL
Have Faith Haiti
Worldwide Orphans
Why + POOL ?
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Swimming has given Chris so many opportunities in life. This swim is an opportunity for him to give back to the community and to New York City, which has been his home now for almost thirty years.
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+ POOL is a non-profit organization committed to providing free and safe access to New York City's rivers for swimming. Its mission is to ensure that everyone, regardless of income or background can enjoy the water.
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Why Have Faith Haiti ?
Chris’ mother, Guerda Harris (née Marie-José Guerda Edeline), was born and raised in Haiti and was orphaned as a teenager. Through sheer providence and the courage and charity of people around her, notably Monsieur l’Ambassadeur de France en Haiti et Madame Le Genissel and Mr and Mrs. Jacques Bailhé, she was given the tools to build a successful life and given safe passage and guardianship in the US.
Founded by Mitch Albom, Have Faith Haiti is a nonprofit organization providing safety, nourishment, education, and opportunity for Haiti’s impoverished children and orphans, and stability for staff and their families in Port-au-Prince.
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Why WWO ?
While conditions in Haiti have sadly worsened in the decades since Chris’ mother left the country, the un-ending cycle of poverty, disease, and despair is not unique to Haiti. An estimated 153 million children worldwide are orphans (UNICEF). In the world’s poorest countries, 1 in 4 children are engaged in child labor (UNICEF).
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Worldwide Orphans Foundation’s (WWO) mission is to educate, heal, and empower children, by embedding trauma-informed, play-based programs in vulnerable communities.
Today, WWO has operating teams in Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Haiti, Ukraine, Vietnam and the Bronx. WWO focuses on children and families who are experiencing poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, natural disasters, war, illness.
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