ROXBURY — The annual Roxbury Pond Polar Plunge, organized by a Relay For Life of River Valley team, was rescheduled from March 24 to 1 p.m. April 7, due to the fact that there is no open water.
Tracy Daigle, team captain for Abbie’s Avengers, a Relay For Life of River Valley team, said that normally, she tries to host the Polar Plunge at 1 p.m. on a Sunday, but due to the lack of open water on Roxbury Pond, she had to move it to April 7.
“This is the second time we had to move it like this,” said Daigle, who added that the idea to do a Polar Plunge every year came from her daughter, Abbie, who is a cancer survivor.
“She spent some time at Camp Sunshine when she was 7 or 8 and did a Polar Plunge there,” Daigle explained. “She loved it, and we started doing one every year after that.”
Daigle later joked, “She’s 12 now, so I don’t know how much she enjoys the idea of jumping in freezing water anymore.”
In order to participate, Daigle said that a pledge sheet is needed to gather donations and raise funds that will benefit Abbie’s Avengers.
“If you don’t want to plunge, find someone who will jump for you instead,” Daigle said. “Whoever raises the most money will get a $100 Visa gift card as a prize.”
Daigle said that the Polar Plunge normally raises “about $1,000.”
“We don’t usually have a lot of repeat plungers,” Daigle joked. “We even have a video on our Facebook page of a father jumping in and making the proclamation, ‘I’m never doing this again,’ afterward. It’s pretty funny.”
Daigle said that after the Polar Plunge on April 7, Abbie’s Avengers will be planning a series of bottle drives, bake sales and car washes to raise money. They will also participate in a 5k run in June.
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