Camp Sunshine’s Maine Polar Dip Set for Feb. 7 at East End Beach in Portland

Freezin’ for a Reason! – Goal to raise more than $15,000 to help send 10 more Maine families to one-of-a-kind retreat in Casco

PORTLAND, Maine – Camp Sunshine will host the Maine Polar Dip on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 at East End Beach in Portland. Participants, many in costumes, will plunge into chilly waters of Casco Bay at noon to raise money for Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

“We hope to raise more than $15,000 to help send 10 Maine families to Camp Sunshine,” said Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine’s director of special events. “The reality of this event is that the discomfort our plungers feel for just a moment will never compare to what our families go through during the course of their child’s illness. It’s for the families and children that we plunge. We call it ‘Freezin’ for a Reason.’ “

Camp Sunshine is partnered this year with the Portland WinteRush, dubbed Maine’s coolest outdoor festival.

Participants can register for the Maine Polar Dip at www.freezinforareason.com or the day of the event. Each “plunger” must raise a minimum of $100 in pledges, and will receive a long sleeve, hard-to-find, highly coveted Freezin’ for a Reason® t-shirt. The top fundraiser for the Maine Polar Dip will receive their choice of a Nikon Coolpix S51 Digital Camera, Nintendo Wii System or Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS System.

Too scared or too smart? For those not quite willing to submerge themselves in ice-cold water, Camp Sunshine offers the Chicken Dip, which enables participants to support ill children and their families without taking the plunge. Chicken Dippers will still be required to raise the minimum of $100 to participate in the event, but will only be required to get their feet wet.

Nestled alongside the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake, Camp Sunshine offers children with life threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week, and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed on them on a daily basis.

The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family – the ill child, the parents, and the siblings. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 28,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities ranging from swimming and boating to archery and soccer and special events such as bonfires and cookouts.

To support Camp Sunshine, please call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

# # #