Returning for its second year, the Great Lake Plunge, benefitting the nonprofit Evanston Swims!, will welcome hundreds of swimmers to participate in the city’s only open water swim July 24.

The event is organized by Open Water Lake Swimmers, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote safe swimming practices, open water swimming and lake preservation.

Held at Greenwood Street Beach, 1401 Sheridan Rd., the course will feature a swim over the SS George W. Morley shipwreck. In 1897, the ship caught fire in Evanston on its way from Milwaukee to Chicago, and all 13 passengers made it safely ashore.

Race distances include 1 kilometer, 2 kilometers and 4 kilometers, as well as a 200-meter non-competitive swim for children 12 and under.

“It’s a little different experience, but I think this event would be great for people who are not experienced open water swimmers to get their feet wet and hopefully fall in love with the sport,” event director Kendra Robinson said.

Last year’s event raised approximately $4,500 for each of its two beneficiaries, Evanston Swims! and Alliance for the Great Lakes, Robinson said. However, all of this year’s proceeds will be donated to Evanston Swims!, which teaches second grade students water safety and basic swimming skills, she said.

“Living in a waterfront community like we do, we feel pretty passionately that everyone should have those water safety and basic swimming skills to help prevent drowning,” Robinson said.

Robinson said Open Water Lake Swimmers initially intended to hold two events this year, one for each of last year’s beneficiaries, but scheduling difficulties have prevented them from hosting a longer distance swim to benefit the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Because the Great Lake Plunge is a family-friendly event, the organization decided to donate all funds to Evanston Swims! because it more closely aligns with its mission to serve local families.

Evanston Swims! coordinator Lori Siegel said she is excited for the continued support from the Great Lake Plunge.

“It supports our ongoing efforts to sustain the program and also supports scholarships for youth above and beyond to the summer programs,” she said.

Due to an unexpected temperature drop, only about 150 of the 250 swimmers who registered last year participated in the event, Robinson said. She said she hopes Lake Michigan will be more cooperative this year.

“It’s sort of a freak thing for that to happen,” Robinson said. “We don’t anticipate it to happen for this year, but I think we definitely learned a lot on how to shift gears and really turn it into something good, even with all of the craziness that ensued from having to make so many last-minute changes.”

Robinson said she believes anyone who can swim the distance they sign up for in the pool will be able to do it in the lake.

“Part of it is psychologically reminding yourself that it’s just water and it’s the same thing as in the pool; it’s just that you don’t always see the bottom and there’s fish in there with you,” she said. “We have the advantage of being in a lake, so we don’t have all of those predators that you actually really have to worry about when you talk about open water swimming.”

An awards ceremony and picnic celebration with music will be held in a “swimmers’ village” at Greenwood Street Beach after the race, Robinson said.

“Swimming is one of those sports that you can literally do your entire life,” she said. “It’s a nice thing to bring the little kids all the way up to grandparents together for an event for a good cause.”

The inclusive, family-friendly atmosphere distinguishes the event from other swimming races, Great Lake Plunge spokesperson Javier Monllor said.

“Most races, you start, you end and everybody leaves, but we’re really about you stick around, eat the food, talk to people,” Monllor said. “That’s what people loved last year and we’re hoping to expand on that even more.”

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