David Asher, Irene Rabiniwitz and Steven Roderick on Fisherman's Wharf at the 275th Anniversary celebration of Provincetown. Steve Roderick to receive Swim for Life David Asher Volunteer Award “I wanna be a cowboy’s sweetheart” is a song that often pops into Steven Roderick’s head, one he remembers David Asher singing as they worked together for thirteen years at the Lobster Pot. On September 10 Roderick will receive the Swim for Life’s David Asher Volunteer Award, presented to individuals or groups who display the volunteer spirit and essence of Provincetown. This award will be presented at the Mermaid Brunch on the deck of the Boatslip following the Swim. Who could be more Provincetown than this soft-spoken, animated “Townie” ? of Azorean, French and Irish stock ? who works at his family’s business, founded in 1935, James J. Roderick, septic and trash services. His family’s homestead on Conwell Street once extended across present day Route 6 where his grandfather ran a farm with cows and chickens. Except for a two year stint in Las Vegas running a 400 seat restaurant that provided room service to 4,000 rooms, Provincetown is home. “Everything has become so corporate, but the Swim remains a grass roots mom and pop operation,” he states, adding that the high energy of the event continues from his first Swim for Life in the early 1990s. He likes how the harbor, once used primarily for the fishing industry, has changed, reinvented itself. “Sometimes more readily than the town,” he added. Roderick has worked since the age of 11, beginning with Art’s Dune Tours and then many years at the Lobster Pot before starting Roderick’s Payroll Service in 2001. But it’s his community service that stands out, reading like a Who’s Who of Provincetown’s needy and glamorous. While his duties as president of the Provincetown Business Guild take up much of his cluttered day, he manages, despite his recent exhausting, life-threatening illness and treatments last year, to maintain his volunteer specialization ? auctions. He has volunteered at close to twenty auctions over the years, most recently at the Fine Art’s Work Center. Perhaps his most important but least visible role is making connections and creating collaborations among the community’s disparate groups and organizations. Just a few of his activities include five years on the School Committee, the AIDS Support Group, Lower Cape Ambulance and the Knights of Columbus, not to mention being a member of the Seamen’s Bank Board of Corporators. The 18th Annual Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a fundraiser for AIDS, women’s health and youth, is scheduled for September 10, 2005. This year’s event begins with the traditional Friday night Celebration of Life Concert at the Meeting House at 8:00 pm, presented by John Thomas. The Mermaid Brunch follows the Swim beginning at noon, and will feature The Bart Weisman Jazz Group with Carol Wyeth. The Pool Splash will run concurrently with the harbor Swim for those who choose to swim in a pool or are “harborly-challenged.” The second annual Provincetown Harbor Lights, created by Ewa Nogiec, planned for dusk, may be viewed at MacMillan Wharf. The 2005 t-shirts, designed by Sally Brophy, are available at Venture Athletics Outdoor Shop, 306 Commercial Street, Unit 3, and at the Firehouse next to town hall staffed by the AIDS Support Group. A new international organization has just signed on as a sponsor, The 1st World Outgames Montreal 2006, a major athletic and cultural event next summer in Canada. Other sponsors include the Provincetown Banner, Mike's Movies/Boston, Paul Mitchell, the Boatslip Resort, Far Land Provisions, Provincetown Visitor Services Board and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Beneficiaries include Helping Our Women, the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services, Cape and Islands Gay Straight Youth Alliance and the Provincetown AIDS HIV History Project. The Swim for Life is produced by the Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. Registration on September 10 for kayakers and safety boaters begins at 8:30 am at the Boatslip Resort beach, 161 Commercial Street, with swimmer registration on the deck at 9:30 am. Swimmers will be transported to Long Point for the 11:00 am start. For pledge forms and volunteer, Pool Splash, or Provincetown Harbor Lights information, or to make a contribution, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, 508 487-1930, www.swim4life.org, or write, Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, P.O. Box 819, Provincetown, MA 02657. Friday Sept 8 8:00 PM Celebration of Life Concert @ Universalist Meeting House Saturday Sept 9 8:30 - 10:30 AM Kayak / Paddler Flotilla Registration @ Boatslip Resort 9:30 - 10:30 AM Swimmer Registration @ Boatslip Resort 11:00 AM Swim for Life Begins from Long Point 11:30 AM Public Greets Swimmers 12:00 - 3:00 PM Mermaid Brunch @ Boatslip Resort Sunday Sept 10 Starting at dusk Provincetown Harbor Lights at MacMillan Wharf