16-Year-Old Will Swim 28 Miles Around Manhattan to Raise Awareness of Children International

Around this time of the year, most 16-year-olds are just getting themselves ready for the upcoming school year. Angel More, however, is gearing up for what many would consider a feat on a whole new level—the 20 Bridges swim—and she’s not just doing it for herself. On August 17, Angel will swim 28.5 miles in an effort to raise awareness for Children International, an organization that supports children in poverty by giving kids 70+ community centers to live in, a team of local doctors, dentists, coaches, staff, and 9,000 worldwide volunteers to inspire, encourage, and support them. The program supports a clear path out of poverty that focuses on health, education, empowerment, and employment via country-relevant and age-specific programs and services, according to the charity’s website.

The 20 Bridges Swim circumnavigates around the island of Manhattan through the East River, Harlem River, and Hudson River, under Manhattan’s 20 bridges including the George Washington Bridge, The Triborough, The 59th Street Bridge, and The Brooklyn Bridge.

Angel will kick off her journey at Pier A in Battery Park. As a World Champion teen swimmer and California native, last year she became the youngest person to complete the California Triple Crown of marathon swimming, which is a series of three open-water solo marathon swims.

This is all part of her effort to raise $1 million within the next two years for Children International’s HOPE scholarship fund which will support 5,000 teenagers around the world who want to continue their education in high school, college, or technical school. She made the announcement on her blog page last Wednesday.

“In a few weeks I will be swimming around Manhattan Island in New York! The swim is 28 miles long! As someone who has lived in California my whole life, I really love New York and may even go to college there," Angel wrote. "The swim will start at 9:05am, and the whole swim will be in the daylight, so it will be almost as if I get a tour of the whole Manhattan Island! I am really excited for this swim. As soon as I get back from New York, I have school. I am going into senior year, and I am applying to colleges. It's a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun.”