Swim for Africa

He Did it! Steve Wargo completed his swim across the Strait of Gibraltar on Monday, September 17, in an effort to raise funds for CRS.

Standing near the shoreline, Steve Wargo exuded kindness one could feel even from several yards away.

As he pleasantly waved to a stranger, his smile didn't wane from the sun beating down. Instead, it grew broader. Without hesitation, he gently extended his hand to embrace another.

Just a day away from his 4.5-mile swim across Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, the program development specialist was calm, collected and quite jovial.

Remarkably, this was Steve's 10th time stroking his way across the frigid bay water. However, this race was merely a warm-up for the independent swim Steve plans to make, during the week of September 16, across the Strait of Gibraltar to help raise money and awareness for Catholic Relief Services. The narrow waterway connects Spain and Morocco. Steve intends to take the 12-mile route — from Tarifa, Spain, to the northernmost coastal tip of Morocco.

"I just think this is an important time for us all to be thinking about being one human family, especially where the world is today," says the tender-mannered 49-year-old.

'We Need to Be Grateful'

Since 1953, only 18 Americans have crossed the strait, according to the Gibraltar Strait Swimming Association. Steve traveled to Spain last year to try a lone swim, but the 9-foot waves and 30-mph winds made it impossible.

When Steve ventured to Tangier, Morocco, last year as part of his trip, he was struck by the reality of poverty in the developing world, as he noticed that thousands of residents in the small, densely populated town have access to just a few freshwater wells that spurt from the ground.

"We live in such abundance that we need to be very grateful for everything that we have," says Steve, a single father who lives with his four daughters in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

This year, hoping to reinforce the theme of connecting the West to the developing world, Steve's mission has a deeper purpose.

Steve's anticipated journey from Europe to Africa parallels CRS' history as a humanitarian agency. CRS was started in 1943 in response to the needs of refugees from a then-war-torn Europe. Over the following decades, the agency's call to help the poor and suffering expanded throughout the developing world, with an emphasis on Africa. CRS works in 40 countries on the continent in the areas of food security, peacebuilding, HIV and AIDS, civil-society building, emergency response, and health, among many others.

'Proud to Be Catholic'

Steve's interest in the agency was sparked by a CRS representative who visited a Mass at Steve's home parish, the Church of St. Dominic in Shaker Heights. Steve made a small donation that day and received a blue CRS bracelet inscribed with the words "One Human Family" that he says he wore for a long time. "It really made me feel proud to be Catholic."

Dedicating his next marathon pursuit to CRS was a natural next step, Steve explains, as he pondered how great it would be if he could help people understand "what we Catholics did all over the world every day."

After Steve completes the swim, he plans to have a fundraising party at his church to help raise money for CRS' projects around the world. He also plans to write a children's book.

Steve draws his inspiration from the example set forth by his parents. His mother overcame her fear of the water to participate in swimming classes with Steve when he was young. Steve and his father spent many summers bodysurfing together. "I know that my dad will be with me in spirit during my swim. He really taught me to enjoy the water," Steve remembers.

Steve feels that his greatest challenge in swimming across the strait will be the cold, choppy texture. He likens swimming in 60-degree water to walking around on a 28-degree day — with no clothes on. "It's really important to have positive thoughts in cold water. I'm going to need to be in good shape spiritually, mentally, physically for that."

Steve has completed other long-distance swims comparable to the one awaiting him in Spain, including a 12-mile sprint around the island of Key West and 16 miles around Manhattan. As practice for his swim for CRS, Steve is swimming laps in local pools. In August, he will also travel with his fiancé Donata Burger to Lake Huron in Michigan, where he can get acclimated to colder water.

'Where God Wants Us to Be'

For Steve, swimming is symbolic of life.

"You literally have to take one breath at time. You have to take life one step at a time," he says. "That's where God wants us to be — in the present moment."

Unlike other marathon swims — where participants are given wet suits — in Spain, Steve will be allowed only a pair of swim trunks, goggles and grease to spread over his body for warmth.

A support crew, including Donata, will travel alongside him in a small boat, dispensing guidance, moral support and periodic food for stamina.

"Steve is a beautiful person through and through," Donata says. "To take the time to pursue this and [raise] the money is really beautiful."

His friends also jokingly warn him of the whales, jellyfish and sharks that are among the strait's marine life. But Steve's physical and mental drive to help the poor would likely trump anything that might come his way.

Besides, he says with a wholehearted laugh, "Sharks aren't interested in skinny guys from Cleveland."

To contribute on behalf of Steve's mission to bring relief to millions of CRS beneficiaries in Africa, click here.