Number of Participants: 35
Hours Donated: 5
Value of Time Served: $6,088
Event Amount Raised: $4,000
Event Type: Civic & Community
Activity: Swimming
School: Elmira High School
Date: December 12, 2025
Location:
Elmira High School
South Main Street, Elmira
NY
About:
The Elmira Express Boys Swim and Dive Invitational supported Toys for Tots for the second consecutive year, with a noticeable and meaningful increase in community involvement compared to the previous season.
The program’s commitment to service began last year with the Girls Express Swim and Dive Invitational, which focused on breast cancer awareness through a partnership with WINK (Women in Pink), a local organization that provides direct financial support to the Falck Cancer Center in Elmira and to women facing financial hardship while battling breast cancer. The girls’ team fully embraced the cause by wearing pink suits and caps, organizing donation efforts, and hosting basket raffles. Over the past two years, these initiatives have raised more than $4,000 for WINK.
Building on that success, coaches and team leaders worked with the boys’ varsity athletes to identify a charitable cause that would have a similar impact. With the Boys Invitational held in early December, Toys for Tots emerged as a natural fit—both locally organized and closely tied to the holiday season. The local Marine Corps Toys for Tots coordinator confirmed that all donated toys would be distributed directly to families in the Elmira community in time for Christmas, giving the effort a strong local connection.
The boys embraced the initiative with enthusiasm. Athletes donated toys to fill collection boxes and created a wide variety of gift baskets to raffle during the invitational. Proceeds from the basket raffle were used to purchase additional toys, resulting in two large Toys for Tots boxes filled to capacity, along with a significant overflow. Donations came not only from the team, but also from the broader swimming and diving community in attendance. Adding to the festive atmosphere, the boys wore holiday-themed suits and Santa hat swim caps on the day of the event.
Across both the girls’ and boys’ programs, approximately 35 swimmers are rostered each season, while close to 500 swimmers participate in the invitationals. Each swimmer dedicates an estimated 3–5 hours per season to planning and preparing for the fundraising components of the events. Coaches and parents contribute many additional hours to ensure the invitationals are successful.
The Elmira Express Swim and Dive program takes great pride in its student-athletes, who consistently demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and generosity both in and out of the pool. The program looks forward to continuing to grow its invitational events and expanding its support of both WINK and Toys for Tots in the years to come.
