The 11th annual This Is Me Foundation Polar Plunge became a spray down at Peekskill’s Riverfront Green on New Year’s Day but the change in plans didn’t diminish the amount of participants up from last year. In fact it created a festival atmosphere because of the 40 degree temperatures with sunshine, according to Lauren Brady, one of the organizers. She also noted it was the third time there was a spray down since in 2014 and 2018 the river was frozen where plungers would enter. Those spray downs were in 10 degree weather.
The decision to spray participants with water from a Peekskill fire truck came after plunge organizers learned that the excess rain from the past few weeks had washed ashore an inordinate amount of debris, making it unsafe to plunge into the river. There was also debris in the water where people would be plunging. As an alternative, a spray down took place in the same general area of the Riverfront Green park. The event raised some $29,000 for the Foundation’s causes, up from last year’s $27,000.
On the scene at the annual event were volunteers from the Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance Corps and volunteers from the Continental Volunteer Fire Department who along with Sue Sheridan walked the area on Sunday and saw how unsafe it would be to enter the water. Brady said Sheridan has been a liaison with This Is Me and area emergency services personnel since the first plunge. “We saw that even if people could get past what was on the shore, there were big pieces of debris in the water that would be dangerous for people,” said Brady.
Raising awareness about alopecia, while giving hope to any individual facing adversity is the mission of the This Is Me Foundation. Founded by Peekskill residents and sisters Caitlin & Lauren Brady, the Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to raise awareness about alopecia, an auto- immune disease that causes hair loss, while giving hope to any individual who faces adversity. All proceeds go directly to the This Is Me Scholarship Fund, Inspired by Ryan Risco & Cait Chivonne Polhill. The fund has awarded 125 $500.00 scholarships locally and nationally since 2012, and recently announced their 2024 scholarship program.
