It was the first time in two years that brave souls could plunge into the Hudson River at the 13th annual New Year’s Day Polar Plunge for the This Is Me Foundation. Last year’s Polar Plunge turned into a spray-down as debris from a storm made the river unsafe to enter.
Thursday’s frigid temperatures didn’t deter some 91 people who registered for the event, said Lauren Brady, co-founder of the This Is Me Foundation. The temperature was 20 degrees but the windchill made it feel like 8 degrees. The freezing temperatures, though, didn’t keep away spectators cheering on the plungers.
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Members of the Cortlandt Community Rowing Association wear their signature Viking hats.
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Snuggling with the warmth of a dry towel.
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Plungers line up ready to get in the water.
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Sisters Caitlin and Lauren Brady of the This Is Me Foundation, organizer of the Polar Plunge. (This Is Me Foundation)
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Plungers were given tee shirts to commemorate their hardiness. (This Is Me Foundation)
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First Responders line up for a video shoot by Peekskill Today’s David Carbone (This Is Me Foundation)
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The group of plungers against the backdrop of Dunderberg Mountain (This Is Me Foundation)
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Members of the community come out to support the plungers (This Is Me Foundation)
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Hugging with dry towels keeps plungers warm.
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A dad’s shoulder always offers a bird’s eye vantage point.
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Cortlandt Community Rowing Assocation members are easily recognizable with their Viking head gear.
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We did it. Plungers emerging from the water (This Is Me Foundation).
The plunge raised over $21,000 toward the goal of $27,000, said Brady. Lauren and her sister Caitlin founded the This Is Me Foundation in February of 2011. They were each diagnosed while in high school with alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss). It was often a struggle to deal with, but they always remained as positive as they could and they never spoke publicly about the condition.
In January 2011, the sisters watched Miss Delaware 2010, Kayla Martell, take her wig off on national TV and explain she would compete in the 2011 Miss America pageant wearing a wig, as she too had alopecia. Immediately, Lauren and Cait knew they needed to do something to inspire others – just as Kayla had done for them. Just 3 weeks later, on February 12, 2011, “This Is Me” was born as a two-and-a-half minute YouTube public service announcement. The video was created to not only raise awareness about alopecia, but to try and inspire anyone who faces any kind of insecurity.
In the years since their founding the non-profit, they have granted $85,000 in the form of scholarships to 172 students in Westchester and nationally. Scholarship recipients have demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity, or have supported others through challenges or live with alopecia. Applicants for the scholarships, awarded in memory of local residents Ryan Risco and Cait Chivonne Polhill, are required to pursue some form of higher education (college, trade school, or military service).
