McCarter associate and former Navy SEAL Bill Brown led a unique fundraising effort by organizing a group of 34 former and active SEALs to complete the first-ever legally sanctioned swim across the Hudson River to raise money for the GI Go Fund, a nonprofit that helps veterans in need. The swim began at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and ended in Battery Park in lower Manhattan with stops at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for pushups and pullups. From Battery Park, the group jogged to One World Trade Center for a ceremony near the 9/11 Memorial.
Bill said he got the idea for the fundraiser as a result of the struggles he faced after leaving the Navy as well as seeing SEALs across the country perform athletic feats for a good cause.
“A lot of times I think homeless veterans are left behind in our society,” he said. “SEALs are really patriotic, good men and they’re out there trying to make a positive difference, and that’s what this swim was about. It was our way to try to help other veterans who are kind of having a tough time through that transition process.”