This year, as part of their annual Swim-A-Cross, the American Red Cross in Nassau County is honoring Renata Maimone of Bayville who passed away this year. Throughout her life, Renata would swim each day of the summer in Long Island Sound, continuing to swim over a mile each day until the last few months of her life. When she was not swimming in the Sound, Ms. Maimone swam at the Glen Cove YMCA.

Anton Newspapers is a proud sponsor of the annual Swim-A-Cross and proud to say that Ms. Maimone wrote a weekly column, Bayville Briefs in this newspaper for many years, keeping readers informed of what was happening locally.

Each year, she was celebrated as the oldest swimmer in the Red Cross Swim-A-Cross, crossing Oyster Bay Harbor for the last time in 2004 at age 87 with her son Jeffrey. This year we honor Renata for her years of support to the American Red Cross in Nassau County. She was the image of eternal youth and Forever Young.

The American Red Cross in Nassau County (ARC/Nassau) encourages swimmers 12 years of age and older to join in its 16th Annual Swim-A-Cross on Friday, Aug. 19, at Centre Island Beach in Bayville. The Swim-A-Cross is a one-mile swim across Oyster Bay Harbor. All proceeds will benefit local ARC/Nassau services, including disaster relief and lifesaving programs in health and safety.

The Red Cross is encouraging all of this year's participants to swim in honor of the person in their life who is Forever Young. Please submit to the Red Cross the name and picture of your Forever Young honoree for whom you will be swimming.

Check-in is at 11:30 a.m. and the swim begins at 12:30 p.m. at Centre Island Beach. ARC/Nassau encourages spectators to come and cheer on the swimmers. There is no time limit to finish the swim, just swimming for a good cause. Participants must have a strong swimming background and must be able to swim a mile in a pool. All spectators and swimmers are provided with refreshments.

The pre-registration fee is $25 and day of registration is $35 at the beach. Raise $50 in sponsorships and receive a Swim-A-Cross T-shirt. Other prizes are available for sponsorships of more than $50. Sign up now and start to get sponsors. For registration information, call ARC/Nassau at 747-3500 ext. 215 or download a registration form from www.NassauRedCross.org.

The Red Cross receives no government support and relies solely on the community for support, so get in the swim of things and sign up today!

ARC/Nassau is a not-for-profit humanitarian service organization that is not a government agency and relies on the generous donations of others. ARC/Nassau provides emergency assistance to victims of disasters, such as fires, hurricanes, winter storms, floods and man-made disasters; safety-related courses, including CPR, First Aid and Aquatics; Holocaust and war victims tracing; and service to military families, such as emergency communication, financial assistance, counseling and leave requests. To make a financial contribution, take a safety course, volunteer or request more information, call 747-3500 or visit www.NassauRedCross.org. ARC/Nassau is located at 195 Willis Avenue, Mineola, NY 11501.