Ohio River Swim Mission Statement

During the summer of 2010, Mimi Hughes will swim the 981 miles of the Ohio River to raise funds and awareness for organizations that support the life skills and academic education of girls. The swim will focus on select organizations from the rural and urban areas of the Ohio River Valley to the remote and fragile environments of the Middle East and Africa that effectively promote education in girls and women. In return, these women and girls will transform themselves, their families and their communities.

Mimi’s Biography

My husband, Forrest Hughes, and I are in our 31st year of marriage, and together we raised our four social/environmentally responsible children. My education experience and passion is in working with people with reading and learning weaknesses, especially dyslexics. It is difficult to recall my accomplishments and awards. It is what I am doing now that matters, but for those that are unsure of my validity I offer the following: In 1996 I carried the Olympic Torch an honor I received for being a “dreamer and a doer.” In 1997 I swam to Russia from Alaska for peace and healing between nations. In 2004 I completed a swim of the Tennessee River for environmental responsibility. In 2007 I completed a 2,880km swim of the Danube River through eight countries for social/environmental responsibility. In 2008 I completed a swim of the Drava and Mura Rivers in Europe for social/environmental responsibility. In 2009 I was interviewed by German Radio as being one of the Strong Women of the World and interviewed by Fur Su (For You) magazine as being one of the most important women of the last 100 years. I was featured in two documentaries for my European swims, one in Austria and one in Serbia and followed by the media throughout Europe. The Tennessee Legislature honored me for my Russian swim and the Governor of Tennessee sent me a congratulatory letter at the end of my Danube River swim…Congratulations Mr. Hughes! My most memorable honor happened in Slovakia while swimming the Danube River. At the end of a media interview, the female newscaster shook my hand and said, “You are my hero!” Her words overwhelmed me with emotion. It is an honor to be someone’s hero, but what I wanted to say was, “Go, do, follow your dreams and be your own hero.”

Why is taking part meaningful?

As Mary Wollenscraft stated in her book written over 200 years ago, “action verifies empowerment.” When someone becomes a part of the Ohio River Swim, they are verifying the belief that one person can make a positive difference and that person can be her/him. In becoming a part of the Ohio River Swim, you are accepting the challenge to be more socially responsible and in support of peaceful, positive changes in the world. It is easy to become a part of the swim. The time investment is small, the personal benefits gratifying and your message to the world tremendous.

It’s about giving not taking!

Education is a social responsibility, a human right. Those choosing to become a part of the swim are offering their selfless support of the mission statement and contributing to a more socially responsible world. I swim as the vessel for creating awareness and inspiring people to raise funds for the organizations listed on my ning site www.womenacrosstheworld.ning.com . I act independently and am not a part of any of the organizations for which I am swimming. As an honorary Rotarian, I live by their motto, “Service Above Self.”