Taryn Gerson, founder of Breaststroke 4 Hope
Age: 22
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Major: Women’s Studies
Taryn is this week’s Campus Celebrity because of her outstanding philanthropic efforts, particularly involving her Breaststroke 4 Hope event. The first annual BS4H took place last winter as a part of Zeta Tau Alpha’s Big Man on Campus, and will take place again on November 10, 2012 in our very own Aquatic Center.
HCP: What inspired you to start Breaststroke 4 Hope?
Taryn: My involvement with Zeta Tau Alpha initially got me affiliated with the cause. After seeing how many land-based efforts there are that go towards breast cancer awareness, such as walk-a-thons and run-a-thons, I wanted to create my own event that would get the aquatic community to be part of this incredible mission.
HCP: Were you pleased with how the first BS4H event went?
Taryn: I was definitely pleased with the results, especially considering the fact that this was sort of a test-run to see if people would be interested in an event like this. The support we got, from both our sponsors and the Greek community here at Purdue, was so wonderful and we raised over $10,000. It was cool to see the swimming community and the other athletes come together with the Greek community for this event
HCP: Now that you’ve got some experience under your belt, how do you hope to change the event so that it will be even more successful?
Taryn: This year we are taking it to a whole other level. The biggest change is that we’re going to have Olympic athletes come to the event, and they’ll not only be swimming but will also be there to sign autographs and other merchandise. We’ll be raffling off items such as pink Beats headphones, and will be selling items from our Breaststroke 4 Hope line. We hope to raise at least $50,000, which will be a great accomplishment for our cause.
HCP: That’s really incredible. Do you plan on continuing with this cause after you graduate?
Taryn: I will be running this organization after I graduate, and am planning on expanding it to other campuses and hosting other events. We currently have 39 other coaches who are interested in hosting events at other high schools and colleges. I’m also planning on further developing our BS4H line with Speedo and promoting that merchandise.
HCP: I know you went to the Olympics this summer; tell me a little bit about that.
Taryn: It was an incredible experience. I felt super blessed to be with my family and to witness all of these countries coming together, and knowing that all of these dreams were coming true right before my eyes was really amazing.
Check out breaststroke4hope.com and see how you can get involved!