Liam Martin

This March, I’m swimming laps for life. Now, let me be clear, I am a proud slow laner! The kind of swimmer lifeguards politely keep an eye on. The kind with exactly zero Olympic prospects. If there were medals for “steady but enthusiastic,” that would be me. But I’m not doing this for speed. As a school teacher, I see every day how much our young people are carrying pressure, anxiety, loneliness, expectations that feel heavier than a wet towel in a school locker room. Youth mental health and suicide prevention aren’t abstract issues to me. They’re real. They’re urgent. And they matter deeply. So I’ll keep plodding up and down that pool. Every lap is for the student who feels invisible. Every breath is for the kid who thinks they’re not enough. Every slightly dramatic flip turn (emphasis on slightly) is for hope. I may not be breaking records, but if I can help break stigma, start conversations, and raise funds that make even a small difference that’s worth every soggy goggle mark. If you’d like to support, cheer, donate, or just promise not to splash me in the slow lane, I’d be grateful. Because sometimes changing lives doesn’t require going fast, it just requires showing up and keeping going.