Forty Bay Area SWAT teams are participating in a challenge Thursday to raise money for the George Mark Children's House in Alameda County, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit said.
The SWAT teams have raised $32,000 as part of the San Leandro Police Department's eighth annual SWAT Fitness Challenge Fundraiser, happening Thursday at Lake Chabot Regional Park.
"It's a great success so far," George Mark Children's House spokeswoman Kathryn Glickman said.
Police raised $25,000 last year and have exceeded the goal of $25,000 for this year.
The George Mark Children's House helps children with life-limiting illnesses by providing for a child's transition from the hospital to home, offering parents a brief respite from caring for their child and giving end-of-life care.
Glickman described the house as "a place between a hospital and a home."
The rooms at the house are designed to look and feel like a child's bedroom, with the room's hospital equipment tucked away. Glickman said the rooms also have amazing murals too. She said the rooms are meant to be a home away from home because many children have spent a lot of time in sterile hospitals.
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"It's a really, really amazing place," she said. "It really takes your breath away."
The SWAT teams are competing Thursday in six events such as a weighted hike, team row, team run and bulls-eye range course. The event is also a way for officers to get to know each other.
Asked which team was winning Thursday morning, Glickman said, "They all look like they're winning to me."
