NEW YORK. Bea Hartigan was selected as the 2011 Times of Huntington Volunteer of the Year. The long-time open water swimming race director and coach was recognized as a open water swimming advocate and devoted fundraiser.

She has spent decades organizing and officiating swimming competitions including the Fran Schnarr Memorial 5K in Huntington Bay (New York) since its inception 19 years ago. Gil Smith describes Bea’s manner of volunteering: “Some people volunteer sparingly but not Bea; she volunteers full throttle.”

“It’s hard for people to realize how much goes into the organization of any race, it literally takes hundreds of hours,” said Steven Munatones who has also known her for years.

“Because she has been doing it for decades, she has put in thousands of hours promoting events, getting volunteers and donating money over the years. She is quite the remarkable individual whose own legacy and helpfulness to so many people is hard to put into words.”

Photo from Townwide Fund

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source