NAHANT — On what was an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, a crowd of hundreds flocked to Short Beach and plunged into its chilly waters for the annual “Freezin’ for a Reason” fundraiser, which benefitted Camp Fire North Shore, a nonprofit youth organization that aims to provide safe and inclusive programming that empowers youth to thrive and become caring, confident leaders.
A New Year’s Day tradition, polar plunges have grown in popularity in recent years. Nahant’s “Freezin’ for a Reason,” organized by the Capano and Sonia families, is no different.
“It’s been fantastic. The crowd grows, the anticipation grows,” said Patty Capano.
“It’s January 1st and people are jumping in the ocean for a great cause. It’s about looking at everybody smile and having fun. It’s a great event and we raise money for great causes,” added George Sonia. “Every day we live life and we do the same boring things over again. This is just something different and fun and raising money for a great cause.”
Despite the warmer-than-usual temperatures — it was around 50 degrees on the beach at noon on Sunday — Sonia said the event lived up to its name.
“Anybody tells you it ain’t cold [in the water] they’re lying,” he said.
As the clock struck noon, a loud cheer emerged from the crowd as they barreled towards the water. Some dove underneath the surface, while others preferred to keep their plunges to solely their lower bodies.
Among those in the crowd were state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and his son, Nate, who tagged along for the second year in a row.
Crighton, who was one of several attendees wearing T-shirts bearing the number of years they had attended on the back, said Sunday marked his 11th polar plunge. He said he began coming to the event because of close relationships with Dan and Erica Richard, who helped organize the event in previous years.
He credited the Capano and Sonia families for keeping what he dubbed a “great community event” going and helping raise money for a great cause.
As for the water, Crighton said, “once you dunked it was all good,” noting the air was warmer than the water.
James Deloid, 40, of Nahant, said he was attending the event for the second time on Sunday, and that it had become an annual tradition for his friends and family, with his children attending the event and friends from New Hampshire driving down to take part in the plunge.
“It was awesome,” he said of jumping into the water. “It’s a really nice day today. I’ve heard of years past people running on ice and slush.”
Deloid added that he was happy to support the cause and “get fresh” for the new year.
The fundraiser portion of the event took place at Rolly’s Tavern at 2 p.m. — allowing plenty of time for those who attended to dry off and warm up. Funds were raised for Camp Fire North Shore via a series of raffles, and a portion of food and drink proceeds will be donated to the organization.
Camp Fire North Shore Executive Director Laurie Hamill said it was “overwhelming” to see the immense community support.
“It’s just really special this year that we were chosen as the beneficiary of all the money that’s raised. It’ll be 1000s of dollars. It’s just amazing, amazing, huge support from the community,” she said. “We’re really grateful and we could not do the work that we do without the support from the community and people like the Sonias [and] the Capanos that believe in us.”
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
