Revo Fitness and Ocean Heroes are uniting once again in a bid to raise $200,000 for autism-based programs.
In life, every day, it’s the little things that often go unnoticed by many which leave the largest impact.
Between midnight and 2am during last year’s Revo Fitness 24-Hour Swim for Ocean Heroes at the Scarborough Beach Pool, Revo Fitness founder and managing director Andrew Holder and fellow staff members were doing the hard yards in the pool.
While many of us were sleeping, they were there, in a bid to raise funds for Ocean Heroes: a charity that provides surfing programs for autistic children throughout Western Australia.
In its fifth year, this year’s event begins on Friday at 4pm, with the number of event participants already exceeding last year’s overall figure.
“There’s a lot of planning but there’s a lot of excitement,” Mr Holder told Business News.
“Last year, we had just over 300 swimmers. This year, we’ve got 400 swimmers having signed up, and that also includes fifty Ocean Heroes participants.
“Which is a huge milestone not only for us, but also for Ocean Heroes. So we’re well on track to surpass what we raised last year.”
Last year, after initially setting a fundraising goal of $100,000, the event raised a total of $214,000, much to the natural delight of all involved.
Event participants form teams and take turns swimming in relay shifts. In 2024, a combined 1,832 kilometres was swum by all who took part.
Ocean Heroes was co-founded in 2016 by Luke Hallam, a passionate advocate for WA’s autistic community, and a man who also was one of Mr Holder’s inaugural personal trainers at Revo.
The not for profit’s primary objective is to provide an opportunity for autistic children to learn to surf, along with accessing the ocean in a safe and inclusive environment.
While the focus has been on this event in recent times, Mr Holder said plans were also under way to ensure the company’s Lift 4 Lifeline event – an initiative to raise money for Lifeline WA’s 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services – later this year would continue to build on its 2024 success.
“We’re really committed to be able to expand that [in terms of] our community touchpoint with charities and organisations which make a real impact across Australia," he said.
“And it’s a really exciting time for us because we’re just in the process over the next three to four months to be able to expand that offering even further.
“I can’t say too much right now, but there’s some really big plans for us as Revo Fitness to be able to impact the community; not just only from a health, fitness and wellbeing perspective, but from a broader perspective.
“So, it’s really exciting times for us as a company … and the next twelve months is going to be pretty special.”
Mr Holder also provided an update regarding Revo’s expansion plans.
“We’ve already opened three new locations this year, so twenty-two more on the way to get onto that twenty-five,” he said.
“All on track and the community’s really engaging with our products, so I’m really pumped.
“But the reality is, growth is not just about footprint. It’s amplifying our impact and as we open more doors, we get to influence more people and their journeys with health/fitness and their journey through life.
“So, we’re really excited to be able to continue to do that across Australia.”
