Local swimmer ready to take on Lake Ontario

15 year old Jenna Lambert plans to do a marathon swim across Lake
Ontario this July to raise money for the local YMCA and Y Penguins.

The inspiration of Vicki Keith has made a marathon swimming protege out of one of her athletes.
Jenna Lambert, 15, a member of the Kingston Penguins swim team, will attempt a 32-km crossing of Lake Ontario this July. Lambert, born with cerebral palsy, is aiming to become the first person with a disability to swim across the lake.
And just like Keith, it’s all for a good cause.
The Kid 4 Kids Marathon, as its been dubbed, will help raise funds for the Kingston Family YMCA’s Character Brick Building Campaign which includes facility upgrades, a new 25-metre pool and 18,000 square-foot fitness area.
The $4.5 million dollar expansion is hoping to receive $2.5 million through fundraising, which Lambert hopes to boost.
Lambert says that Vicki Keith, her coach and good friend, has been a great inspiration to her and will be for her swim.
“Taking a God given gift and putting it to use for the good of others, that’s a goal worth striving for,” she says.
Keith will be there to support her along the way.
“No one can prepare you for the heights you will soar until you spread your wings,” says Keith.
The Y expansion project is close to Lambert’s heart. As a member of the Penguins swim team, she has found a new love in life. Lambert was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that reduces her movement and had forced her to walk with a walker.
Swimming for the past five years has improved her strength and movement she now walks with forearm crutches.
She has triumphed in the pool, too, recently winning her first international medals in competition. The next competition is against Lake Ontario.
The swim in July will begin in Point Peninsula, New York and will finish approximately 24 hours later, at the shore of Lake Ontario Park in Kingston.
To contribute to The Kid 4 Kids Marathon campaign visit the Y location at 100 Wright Cres., online at www.kingston.ymca.ca or call 546-2647.