Fundraising Effort Underway for New Year’s Day Coney Island Polar Dip to Benefit Camp Sunshine

Freezin’ for a Reason event to raise money for Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening diseases and their families

CONEY ISLAND, N.Y. (December 2, 2014) – Fundraising efforts are underway for the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s ninth annual Coney Island Polar Dip to benefit Camp Sunshine, set for 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day at Riegelmann Boardwalk on historic Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Participants will ring in the New Year by plunging into the chilly waters off Coney Island Beach to raise money to help send more children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from New York to Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Maine.

Participants can avoid long lines on New Year’s Day by registering online as soon as possible and making a minimum $20 donation to trigger express registration and entry into the earliest PLUNGE wave.

In addition, plungers who raise $100 or more will receive a highly coveted long sleeve Freezin' for a Reason “I DID IT” event shirt. Participants over 21 years old also will receive a limited edition “The Plunge” pint glass, complements of Coney Island Brewing Company, and an invitation to an exclusive after party with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club at Peggy O’Neill’s Bar and Restaurant.

The Coney Island Polar Dip is again partnering with CrowdRise, a popular online fundraising platform, to make it easier for the entire community to unite, support and fundraise for Camp Sunshine. To start raising funds, form or join a team, and donate online, visit http://www.freezinforareason.com. For more information, call (207) 655-3800.

Organizers encourage businesses and organizations from across the New York City region to form teams of co-workers to take the plunge together, creating holiday camaraderie in the workplace and helping a great cause at the same time. 

The world-renowned Coney Island Polar Dip has set a goal to raise in excess of $50,000 in 2015, enough to send 25 New York families to Camp Sunshine.

“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,” said Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine’s Director of Special Events. “It’s for the families and children that we plunge...We call it Freezin for a Reason.”

Participants are asked to arrive early for the 1 p.m. event (registration begins at 10 a.m.) and to assemble on the boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue. Plungers are encouraged to bring warm clothes, surf boots or old sneakers, and towels. The NYC Parks Department is providing changing facilities.

Nestled alongside the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine, Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org) 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.

Since the opening of the Camp’s year-round campus in 2001, more ill children and their families have come from New York than any other state in the nation. In 2013, 152 families from New York attended the Camp. Even with multiple sessions being added annually at Camp Sunshine, there are still many more children from New York being newly diagnosed each year, Smith said.

Camp Sunshine’s program continues to be recommended by the following New York treatment centers: Mount Sinai Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Schneider's Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York University Medical Center, Brooklyn Hospital Center, Westchester Medical Center,  Stony Brook Medical Center, and numerous others.

About Camp Sunshine
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 upon 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 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts; and also hosts fall and winter programs. To support Camp Sunshine, call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

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Event listing

WHAT: Ninth Annual Coney Island Polar Dip to Benefit Camp Sunshine

WHEN: New Year’s Day - January 1, 2015 at 1 p.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.)

WHERE: Riegelmann Boardwalk, Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York  

WHO:   Presented by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, event to raise money for Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org), a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families

MORE INFO: Don't get caught waiting in line! Register today, make a minimum $20 donation and receive express registration and entry into the earliest PLUNGE wave. In addition, plungers who raise $100 or more will receive a highly coveted long sleeve Freezin' for a Reason “I DID IT” event shirt. Participants over 21 years old also will receive a limited edition “The Plunge” pint glass, complements of Coney Island Brewing Company, and an invitation to an exclusive after party with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club at Peggy O’Neill’s Bar and Restaurant. The goal is to raise in excess of $50,000 – enough to send 25 New York families to Camp Sunshine.

WEBSITE: http://www.freezinforareason.com

CONTACT: Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine (207) 655-3800 msmith@campsunshine.org

Photos from the 2013 Coney Island Polar Dip

Here is more news and information about Camp Sunshine