Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Dean Bragonier and Kerry Yonushonis are teaming up to create and complete the Bicoastal Aquathon, a series of two charity swims to raise awareness and funds to fight dyslexia.
The Bicoastal Aquathon includes two separate open water swims on both the West Coast and East Coast of America in August. It includes the Bicoastal Relay Team that comprises of dyslexic students who will swim a 4.2-mile relay along the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts led by Bragonier* and Kerry Swims For Dyslexia, a 22-mile crossing from Santa Catalina Island to Long Beach, California by Yonushonis.
The Bicoastal Relay Team is also supported by Yonushonis and her Kerry Swims For Dyslexia project that includes a multi-year plan to achieve the Oceans Seven while raising money for dyslexia.
“I use my swimming as a platform for a small dyslexia non-profit. My goals are three-fold:
1. To gain attention to the strengths and grit that comes with dyslexia. Both my son and I have this learning difference.
2. To Raise awareness for a new non-profit NoticeAbility, founded and created by Dean, which created innovative curriculum for dyslexic middle schoolers.
3. To get youth involved with open water swimming. This summer will include kids in Martha’s Vineyard. Next summer we are hoping to add a group in Galveston, Texas.
After Dean swam around Martha’s Vineyard in stages last summer to bring attention to dyslexia and the new non-profit NoticeAbility, I reached out to him and let him know I was going to train for Catalina Channel and would love use my swims as a platform for this great cause. I loved the idea of bringing awareness to the strengths of dyslexics, by using one of mine, swimming.”
For more information on the Bicoastal Aquathon, visit here.
In 2015, Bragonier was the first person to successfully swim around Martha’s Vineyard Island so he continues to combine his open water swimming experience with his fund-raising role at NoticeAbility. Bragonier completed a multi-stage circumnavigation around Martha’s Vineyard by swimming in 2-mile increments.
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