Despite some blustery winds and rain it was a stellar day at the Polar Bear Swim on Jan. 1 in Ajax!
About 300 people come out with about 125 or so entering the water. A couple of additional donations are expected, but the event is estimated to have raised $3,000, $700 more than last year! The Polar Bears chose to support the Heart of it All campaign this year.
To see a video of the fun, follow this link.
About 300 people come out with about 125 or so entering the water. A couple of additional donations are expected, but the event is estimated to have raised $3,000, $700 more than last year! The Polar Bears chose to support the Heart of it All campaign this year.
To see a video of the fun, follow this link.
So many people were lined up about 15 minutes early and the winds were howling, so the event started a little bit ahead of 1pm for some. To compensate organizers Eric Novak and Peter Gos did a second wave for the folks who showed up for the 1pm posted start. Thank goodness Starbucks Ajax was on hand to give out free coffee and Peter purchased a giant carafe of hot chocolate so non-coffee drinking participants were kept warm.
With a couple of additional donation promises that day, organizers now say they passed the $3,000 mark, which is an increase of about $700 from last year.
With a couple of additional donation promises that day, organizers now say they passed the $3,000 mark, which is an increase of about $700 from last year.
The Ajax event, like so many others around the world, had rather simplistic beginnings. Ajax resident Bob Murray first took the plunge back in 2006 with a couple friends and with little fanfare or attention. Murray’s friend and fellow Ajax resident Peter Gos decided to help out the following year and it has grown every year since.
The Swim is designed to raise funds for a local charity as well. Both participants and spectators are encouraged to offer donations while at the event as a show of support to those who participate. As with last year, all proceeds will be donated to the Rouge Valley Health System Foundation, with proceeds from this year benefitting “The Heart of it All” campaign. The campaign is raising money to purchase much-needed echocardiogram machines for both the Ajax and Centenary sites.
“As far as being the recipient of the charitable side of this fun event, the Heart of it All campaign is really proud to have a local group choose to support its community hospital this way," says Chad Hanna, President and CEO of the Foundation, who along with Katherine Craine, representing the Foundation, took the plunge in the lake with everyone. "The guys behind the Ajax Polar Bear swim, aside from being a little crazy, are really a special breed. They know how important health care is. The money will go toward purchasing new echocardiogram machines and the end result promises to be a much greater level of comfort for doctor and patient, as the new machines provide the best possible clarity in the images of the heart and therefore the best diagnosis for the patient.”
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