Polar bears prep for 10th anniversary plunge
Event starts at 10 a.m. New Year's Day
On New Year’s Day, hundreds of people will brave the elements and jump into the Atlantic in Asbury Park.
The Sons of Ireland Polar Bear Plunge is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2013, with registration at 10 a.m.; a bagpipe march to the beach at 12:30 p.m.; and the plunge itself at 1 p.m. From 1 to 3 p.m., Brian Kirk and the Jirks and The Nerds will perform.
Plungers will celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary this year, according to a prepared release. The event has drawn 3,000 spectators and 500 plungers in the past.
The Plunge started with a group of alumni of Lincroft’s Christian Brothers Academy [CBA] as a way to mark New Year’s Day. They formed the Sons of Ireland nonprofit in 2002. The group is “dedicated to the principles of brotherhood, charity and community service, and supports worthy nonprofits within the Monmouth County area,” according to the release.
Plungers are asked to raise at least $100 to participate. Fundraising efforts have contributed to more than $300,000 in charitable donations over the years. This year, the event will benefit Sea Bright Rising; Horizons; Project Oasis; Providence House and the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund. Madison Marquette and Linksys will sponsor the event.
The event started in Sea Bright at Donovan’s Reef, and was held there until the City of Asbury Park approached organizers and offered up Convention Hall and the AP Boardwalk.
The Sons of Ireland describe the charities they’ll benefit as follows:
Sea Bright Rising is a non-profit organization devoted to the relief of the needy and/or displaced and the general recovery of the town of Sea Bright, New Jersey as a result of the devastation created by Hurricane Sandy in the Fall of 2012. Sea Bright Rising is focused on three main components of recovery in Sea Bright: residents, business community and community infrastructure.
Horizons has operated on the campus of the Rumson Country Day School for the past fifteen years. Each summer, Horizons offers a six-week academic, cultural and recreational enrichment program to at-risk students from a diverse, low-income population of students in grades K-8 who live primarily in the Red Bank area. Horizons’ goal is to offer more than 100 students the opportunity to attend Horizons during the summer of 2013.
Project Oasis was founded in 2000 to promote inclusion and acceptance of autistic individuals into their local communities by establishing environmentally exemplary farm centers that provide meaningful work, peaceful and healthy residences and community interaction. A sister organization of I.M.P.A.C.T. (Improving Middletown’s Program for Autistic Children Together), Project Oasis also assists the local public school system by developing educational programs for our area’s increasing autistic population. IMPACT members worked tirelessly to increase awareness and educate the public about autism and how it affects children.
Providence Medical Clinic is a free medical treatment provider located in Neptune, NJ. Free health care and medical treatment are provided by a volunteer staff of 30 medical professionals to uninsured and underserved residents of Monmouth County. The Clinic, in operation since 1998, provides primary health care including the treatment of acute illnesses, wellness care, mammograms, pre-school and pre-employment physicals, pap smears, and an indigent prescription drug program.
The Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II Memorial Fund honors the life and memory of U.S. Army Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II, a Monmouth County native who graduated from Christian Brothers Academy and The United States Military Academy at West Point. After being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, Dennis was accepted into Ranger School and graduated in March of 2005. He deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division, where he was killed in action two months later. Dennis’ Memorial Fund provides support to improve the morale and welfare of members of the United States Armed Forces and their families, especially to severely wounded returning veterans from New Jersey. Additionally, by providing scholarships to CBA, the Fund invests in the future of high school students who embody the leadership qualities and community spirit of Lt. Zilinski.
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[Above photo by Mark Krajnak.]
