MONTEGO BAY, St James — Gaudia Aquart, the proprietor of Kingston’s Spa Aesthetique and Nirvana Day Spa, will brand Paula Hurlock’s Accelerated Swim System with an official introduction of the Visalus fitness line at the Montego Bay Racquet Club this Saturday.

The introduction, which is scheduled to start at 12:00 noon, will be followed by an official launch of the new partnership during a benefit performance of Jane Chrichton’s drama, White Witch, at the Fairfield theatre at 7:30 pm.

“I was particularly moved by Paula’s initiative to introduce healthy snacks for children, given the global problem of obesity in children, and I am very happy to be working with someone who understands the issue,” said Aquart, who is also the Jamaica Tourist Board’s face of fitness.

Saturday’s benefit — one of a raft of initiatives to secure Hurlock’s vision for swimming in Montego Bay — will also see Aquart teaming up with CVM Television to host a telethon on behalf of Haiti’s children.

“One of our initiatives is to help children in need by giving them access to protein-rich meals through a programme whereby we match every meal that is purchased from us on behalf of a child. So in essence, “if someone buys a meal for one child, they end up helping two”, said Aquart, noting that she was looking forward to the participation of Western Jamaica’s corporate community.

Hurlock, the driving force behind an ambitious plan to propel the second city’s swimmers to the top of the island’s competitive tables, told the Observer West that Visalus’ involvement represented a win-win situation.

“We are happy to associate ourselves with the Visalus brand because of what it represents… health, wellness and fitness,” said Hurlock, who administers the swim programme with the help of Coach Robert Arista.

According to Hurlock, the nutritional element will help secure the objectives of the programme.

“We noticed that our swimmers were snacking on unhealthy fast foods during the breaks at our sessions. And we realised that this was a consequence of the hectic daily logistics of their parents. So we want to change all that by giving the parents a healthy snack option, as well as an opportunity to work out at the gym here while their children swim instead of just sitting and watching,” Hurlock told the Observer West.

As of next month, the Visalus line includes antioxidant-rich shakes and snacks which will be available during swim sessions at the Montego Bay Racquet Club, the new home of Hurlock’s programme.

As the new official sponsor of the programme, Aquart will outfit the swimmers with technical gear and other accessories.