This Year’s Coney Island Polar Dip to Support Camp Sunshine

Brooklyn’s traditional New Year’s Coney Island Polar Dip will support Camp Sunshine, a haven for terminally ill children and their families. The annual event is presented by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, and will take place on New Year’s day at the Coney Island Boardwalk.

The event will send participants plunging into the frigid waters of the Coney Island Beach, with proceeds working to send more New York families to the retreat, which is located in Maine. This year’s event is unique, with organizers working to recruit businesses and other organizations with teams of co-workers, to participate.   Last year, the Polar Dip raised $50,000, and this year’s goal is to reach $60,000.

“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 children’s illness” explained Camp Sunshine’s Michael Smith. “It’s for the families and the children that we plunge. We call it Freezin for a Reason.”

All participants are encouraged to raise at least $100 in pledges for the Camp Sunshine cause. Participants who donate will receive a free breakfast, as well as all-day admission to the New York Aquarium.