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.) Fundraising efforts are underway for the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s eighth 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 families from New York to Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
Coney 13 f.jpgTo avoid lines at the event, organizers are encouraging polar dip plungers to register online soon. Online registrants who make a minimum $20 donation qualify for express registration on New Year’s Day and entry into the earliest plunge wave. In addition, any plunger raising $100 or more will receive a highly coveted, limited edition, long sleeve Freezin’ for a Reason event shirt.
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.crowdrise.com/ConeyIslandPolarDip2014. 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 $25,000 in 2014, enough to send more than a dozen 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.
Participants who make a donation to Camp Sunshine will receive a free breakfast and all-day admission to the New York Aquarium. For more information, visit the Coney Island Polar Bear Club online at www.polarbearclub.com.
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 2012, 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 is a year-round retreat, which provides respite, support, joy, and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through various stages of a child’s illness. The program is free of charge to all families, and includes 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support. Bereavement groups are also offered for families who have lost a child to an illness. To support Camp Sunshine, call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.
- WHAT: Eighth Annual Coney Island Polar Dip to Benefit Camp Sunshine
- WHEN: New Year’s Day – January 1, 2014 at 1 p.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.)
- WHERE: Riegelmann Boardwalk, Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York
- WEBSITE: http://www.crowdrise.com/ConeyIslandPolarDip2014
- WHO: Presented by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club
- WHY: 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: To avoid lines at the event, organizers are encouraging polar dip plungers to register online soon. Online registrants who make a minimum $20 donation qualify for express registration on New Year’s Day and entry into the earliest plunge wave. In addition, any plunger raising $100 or more will receive a highly coveted, limited edition, long sleeve Freezin’ for a Reason event shirt. All proceeds will benefit Camp Sunshine. The goal is to raise in excess of $25,000 – enough to send more than a dozen New York families to Camp Sunshine.
CONTACT: Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine (207) 655-3800 msmith@campsunshine.org
BACKGROUND
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 the opening of the Camp’s year-round facility in 2001, more ill children and their families have come from New York than any other state in the nation. In 2012, 152 families from New York benefitted from a respite at Camp Sunshine. Sadly, even with multiple sessions being added annually, there are still many more children from New York being newly diagnosed each year.
Gather your family, friends, and co-workers to take the New Year’s Day Polar Dip for a great cause – and we’ll see you at the beach!
To support Camp Sunshine, please call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.
