Wachusett Mountain Polar Dip to Benefit Camp Sunshine Set for Saturday, Jan. 21 at Wachusett Mountain Ski Resort

Freezin’ for a Reason event to help send more Massachusetts children with life-threatening illnesses and their families to Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind retreat in Maine

PRINCETON, Mass. (January 9, 2012) – The third annual Wachusett Mountain Polar Dip to benefit Camp Sunshine is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 21 at the base lodge of the Wachusett Mountain Ski Resort in Princeton, Mass.

Participants will plunge into a special outdoor Polar Pool filled with ice-cold water to raise money to help send more families from Massachusetts to Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org), a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

New this year, plungers are encouraged to create a plunge team of four or more people, consisting of co-workers and classmates and from civic groups or places of worship.

Every individual participant is encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges for Camp Sunshine and those who do will receive an “I DID IT!” t-shirt. All proceeds will benefit Camp Sunshine. To pledge online and for more information on the event, visit www.freezinforareason.com. Wachusett Mountain is located off Route 140 in north central Massachusetts at 499 Mountain Road in Princeton. Registration begins at 1 p.m. with the plunge set for 2 p.m.

“The Polar Pool is filled from the same water source used for Wachusett snowmaking, so it’s going to be one of the coldest plunges anywhere,” said Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine’s Director of Special Events. “But 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.”

He said those not quite willing to submerge in water cold enough to make grown men scream can still participate in the Chicken Dip. Chicken dippers are still required to raise the minimum of $100 to participate, but only need to get their feet wet – a perfect opportunity for some of Camp Sunshine’s children to take part, he said.

Nestled alongside the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine, 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.

Since Camp Sunshine opened in 1984, it has provided a haven for more than 35,000 family members from 48 states and 22 countries. Approximately 25 percent of these families come from Massachusetts. In fact, in 2011 alone, 193 Massachusetts families participated in Camp Sunshine’s program. Sadly, even with multiple sessions being added annually at Camp Sunshine, there are still many more children from Massachusetts being newly diagnosed each year, Smith said.

The goal is to raise more than $25,000 at the Wachusett Mountain Polar Dip, enough to send 15 families from Massachusetts to Camp Sunshine. To support Camp Sunshine, please call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

Camp Sunshine’s program continues to be recommended by the following Massachusetts treatment centers: Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston University Medical Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Floating Hospital for Children at New England Medical Center, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Baystate Medical Center Children’s Hospital, and UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Camp Sunshine recently received a coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity evaluator. The rating placed Camp Sunshine 39th in the country out of thousands of charities that were exhaustively analyzed for financial oversight, management and transparency.

About Wachusett Mountain Ski Area
The Wachusett Mountain Ski Area (www.wachusett.com), located on Mount Wachusett, features skiing and snowboarding on 22 trails for all abilities, serviced by eight lifts. The popular resort, located an hour west of Boston, boasts 100 percent snow-making capacity.

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

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Calendar listing
WHAT: Third annual Wachusett Mountain Polar Dip to Benefit Camp Sunshine
WHEN: Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 2 p.m. (registration begins at 1 p.m.)
WHERE: Wachusett Mountain, 499 Mountain Road, Princeton, Mass.
WHO: Event to raise money to send more Massachusetts families to 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: Participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges and plunge into a Polar Pool to receive an official “I DID IT” long-sleeved t-shirt. All proceeds will benefit Camp Sunshine. The goal is to raise $25,000.
WEBSITE: www.freezinforareason.com
CONTACT: Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine (207) 655-3800 msmith@campsunshine.org

Here is more information about Camp Sunshine