christinebrosseau

CHRISTINE BROSSEAU

Howard Armstrong Centre Joins With 150 Other Pools Across The Nation For BIG SWIM FOR ARTHRITIS

The Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis is the first event of its kind in Canada involving approximately 150 pools, from one coast, to another. This national swimming event is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of water-based activity for those with arthritis, and to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. The event takes place in pools across the country from April 20 – 23, 2006 . It will be held in Valley East on April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Christine Brosseau, on the right in the photo, will be one of the swimmers participating in the event at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre in Valley East . She is shown with Anne Gervais, Facility Pool Operator.

Anne, who was instrumental in making the arrangements to have her pool involved in the event, invites people of all ages and physical abilities to participate in the Foresters BIG Swim and help raise funds for the Arthritis Society. The event includes distance swims, aquafit and aqua “fun” for children, all designed to inspire Canadians to engage in water-based exercise.

For people who have arthritis, swimming and water-based activity is one of the best ways of exercising and maintaining a good physical fitness level.

   The Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre offers a Pool Therapy Class every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. where people with arthritis can participate in an instructor-lead program of swimming and exercise.

   Christine, who is a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, began swimming two years ago. She can often be found in the pool several hours a day, taking advantage of adult swims and public swimming sessions. Her goal is to complete the 5000 meters necessary to receive a “Gold Medal” at the Foresters BIG Swim event. That will require her to swim 200 laps of the pool in about three hours. She now swims between 60 and 100 laps a day and is “training” for the big day on April 22. The best she has ever done to date is 2000 laps over a 17 day period.

   Christine will be at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre every Saturday between now and the BIG event, seeking sponsorship donations and providing information and inspiration to people interested in helping the Arthritis Society.

   All residents are encouraged to provide Christine with a couple of dollars in an effort to make life a bit better for the many people in our society who are affected by this disease. We all wish Christine the best of luck in achieving her “Gold Medal”.

Christine Brosseau Looks For Pledges For BIG SWIM FOR ARTHRITIS

In the above photo, Christine and Sammy, spent many Saturdays in the mall collecting pledges and providing information about the arthritis society to hundreds of shoppers.

With The Big Event Only Days Away, Christine Brosseau Is Looking Forward To The Challenge

Christine Brosseau and her pet, Sammy, were at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on Easter Saturday collecting pledges for the 1st Annual BIG SWIM FOR ARTHRITIS at the Howard Armstrong Centre.

The Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis is the first event of its kind in Canada involving approximately 150 pools, from one coast, to another. This national swimming event is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of water-based activity for those with arthritis, and to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. The event takes place in pools across the country from April 20 – 23, 2006 . Christine will be taking to the water with up to a dozen local swimmers in Valley East on April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Christine, who herself is a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, began swimming two years ago. She can often be found in the pool several hours a day, taking advantage of adult swims and public swimming sessions. Her goal is to complete the 5000 meters necessary to receive a “Gold Medal” at the Foresters BIG Swim event. That will require her to swim 200 laps of the pool in about three hours.

At this point in her training, with less than a week to go, she is covering 110 lengths of the pool in 90 minutes. Moreover, she claims that she actually feels stronger once she gets past the first 80 or 90 laps. The only thing keeping her from swimming any more than that is the fact that the swim times are not long enough. She is confident that her “training” program is right on schedule for the big day on April 21.

Christine has already achieved one of her two goals. She passed the $500 in total pledges. Now all that is left is for her to swim the 5000 meters and she is confident that she will accomplish that personal goal as well.

All residents are encouraged to provide Christine with a couple of dollars in an effort to make life a bit better for the many people in our society who are affected by this disease. We all wish Christine the best of luck in achieving her “Gold Medal”.

If you would like to sponsor Christine, call her by phone at 897-6266 or email

CHRISTINE DOES IT!!!!

Christine Brosseau is all smiles and doesn't look the worse for wear as she is shown moments after completing a 5000 metre swim in 2 hours and 50 minutes on April 21, 2006 at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre. She swam a full 200 laps as part of the First Annual Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis and was presented with a medal in honour of her accomplishment from Bob McOrmond, President of the Sudbury Shunia Branch #228.

The Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis was the first event of its kind in

Canada

involving approximately 150 pools, from one coast, to another. This national swimming event is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of water-based activity for those with arthritis, and to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. The event took place in pools across the country from April 20 – 23, 2006. The Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre was the only place in Sudbury where the event was hosted locally.

Christine, who is a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, began swimming two years ago. She can often be found in the pool several hours a day, taking advantage of adult swims and public swimming sessions.

Her goal was to complete the 5000 meters necessary to receive a “Gold Medal” and to raise over $500 in pledges. She accomplished both objectives!

Andrea Lucas, seated on the left, is a Fund-Raising Assistant with the Arthritis Society. She and Mary-Lou Hussak, Manager of Regional Development for Northeastern Ontario, were on hand for the Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis, handing out information brochures to visitors to the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre during the event.

Standing in the photo, from the left, are Bob McOrmond, Anne Gervais, Facility Pool Operator, Pete Wilford, a participant who swam 2500 metres, and Pat McOrmond.

According to Mary-Lou, Arthritis doesn't seem to get as high a profile as some of the other diseases like Heart & Stroke and Cancer, but it is definitely a life-debilitating disease that afflicts a large segment of the population. In fact, statistics show that with a rate of 22.8% of the population of the Greater Sudbury Area being diagnosed with some form of arthritis, this is the 2nd highest region in Ontario with the disease. The provincial average is only 17%.

The Foresters have been in existence for over 126 years and have been established in Sudbury since 1972. They have a local membership of approximately 600, with a couple of dozen active members involved in numerous fund-raising events such as the BIG SWIM.

Christine Brosseau generated a great deal of publicity for the event in Valley East. She and her pet bird, Sammy, have been at the mall collecting pledges every Saturday for over a month. To see the other articles that have been written about Christine's quest, follow the links below: