U.S. National Team swimmer Conor Dwyer built up to the holiday season last week by hosting an “insta-meet” toy drive for special needs children. Dwyer hosted the event with Pete Halvorsen, a content producer, actor, and social media heavyweight (204,000 Instagram followers).
The two invited their Instagram followers to come out and meet them at Manhattan Beach. They gave away USA Swimming and Speedo gifts to everyone who brought a toy for a special needs child.
Dwyer, who spent most of his formative years in suburban Chicago, has spent the last 4 years based out of Los Angeles after going to college first at Iowa and then at the University of Florida. The 28-year old Dwyer has been a member of the last two Olympic Teams, winning gold medals in London and Rio on the American 800 free relays, and adding to it an individual bronze in 2016. He also has 10 World Championship medals and is the U.S. Open Record holder in the 200 short course meter freestyle (which means he’s swum the fastest-ever 200 short course meters on American soil by a swimmer of any nationality).
Check out a video of Dwyer and Halvorsen below meeting with fans and collecting toys:
Speedo is a SwimSwam partner.