Duane Hicks
Go jump in the lake!
The annual “Polar Plunge,” organized by the Voyageur Lions Club of Fort Frances, is in the works for New Year’s Day and it’s not too late for participants to sign up.
The event once again will be held Jan. 1 on Sand Bay (behind La Place Rendez-Vous).
“I think we’re going to have a pretty good number this year because we’ve got a lot of different groups that we’ve had in the past that are asking to sign up,” said club member Bill Michl, who is spearheading the event this year.
“It looks good,” he added. “It looks like our numbers will be up around the 50 mark or maybe even better.”
For more info or to get pledge sheets, call Michl at 276-1334.
He can send you a pledge sheet electronically. But if you need a paper copy, he also can deliver one to you.
For those new to the “Polar Plunge,” Michl explained how the fundraiser works.
“Once you sign up, you go around and collect pledges,” he noted.
“You have to get pledges for a registered charity or non-profit group–you can’t just raise money for your own endeavour,” he stressed.
Participants then show up on the day of the “Plunge” and jump in the lake. Half of what they raise goes to their chosen cause while the other half goes to the Voyageur Lions.
“If you happen to be the top fundraiser, we’ll give you an extra $300 for your charity,” Michl said.
Jumpers have supported a wide range of causes over the years, ranging from high school sports teams and clubs to the Rainy River District Women’s Shelter of Hope and local churches.
“Just about anything that’s out there, we’ve had people jump for it,” Michl noted.
If someone wants to jump, but doesn’t have a chosen charity, they can jump for the Voyageur Lions, he hinted.
“We could always use the extra funds for community events and stuff,” he reasoned.
On the day of the event, registration opens at 11 a.m., with the first jumper to be sent to the hole at 1 p.m.
Michl said organizers like to start promptly as it can get cold for spectators who are waiting on the dock for the event to begin.
As in past years, jumpers will get a hot lunch afterwards.
Michl said La Place Rendez-Vous has been very generous over the years, supplying chili and hot chocolate for those brave souls who take the icy plunge.
As far as ice conditions on Sand Bay go, Michl said everything is looking favourable as of right now.
“I haven’t walked on it but it looks good,” he remarked.
“It’s snow-covered and it looks like it’s solid ice.
“We’re supposed to get colder weather now for a while and that can only add to the depth of it,” added Michl.
“I think we’ll be good.
“After Christmas some time, we’ll go take a measurement just to see what we’ve got for ice, but I’m pretty sure it’s good,” he reiterated.
