The evolution of the Hudson River Swim for Life™ into the popular event it is today started in 1991 as a one-man charity swim. Dennis Chillemi was inspired by the natural beauty of the Hudson River and the challenge to swim across it. Quietly training for several months, Dennis stepped in and swam from Nyack to Irvington in less than an hour. After the swim, Dennis’s wife, Ann, suggested that he swim the following year for a charity and recommended the Blythdale Children’s Hospital.

Since that time, the Hudson River Swim for Life has evolved into a community-wide event that attracts hundreds of swimmers annually from both sides of the water’s banks and beyond.  After dedicating the Swim to different organizations each year, Dennis and his growing committee of volunteers chose the National MS Society as its lead charity from 1997-2005 in honor of a fellow police officer who was diagnosed with the disease.

As part of the committee’s ongoing mission to reach out to more people in need, the Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) became the primary beneficiary in 2006 and has remained so since that time. A US Masters sanctioned race, the Hudson River Race for Claire, was also added to the event this same year to offer competitive swimmers the opportunity to compete for awards in race categories. Proceeds from the race portion of the event benefit Friends of Claire/Mary Ann Collier Foundation (MACF)in the fight against ALS disease.
 
A new swim route was then established in 2007 between the Nyack Boat Marina in Nyack, NY and Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow, NY, giving more communities along the Hudson River a chance to become involved in the event.  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also added the Hudson River Swim for Life to its Team in Training (TNT) program that year, making it the first long distance swim to ever be included in its nationally acclaimed endurance sports training program. 

New to the event in 2008 was a one-mile swim route along the shore in Sleepy Hollow from Philipse Manor Beach Club to Kingsland Point Park. By offering a shorter distance swim option in addition to the three-mile route, the Swim committee and LLS hope to encourage more swimmers to take part in this annual celebration of the Hudson.

Since its inception, the Hudson River Swim for Life has raised approximately $2.1 mllion for local charities.  Starting with one swimmer raising $25,000, the event has grown to over 275 swimmers, 100 kayakers, 25 support vessels, and 100 volunteers all helping to raise over $260,000 in 2010 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Although the Hudson River Swim for Life has continued to grow in size and scope, its mission has remained the same: to raise awareness of the Hudson River; promote swimming as a lifelong form of fitness; and to raise funds for the ongoing efforts of charities in the community.  As part of the Quadricentennial celebration, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage to the New World, the ongoing success of the Hudson River Swim for Life and Hudson River Race for Claire is proof of the enduring viability of this historical and important body of water.