Community Corner
PHOTOS: Virginia Polar Dip: 266 Take the Plunge for a Cause in Reston
Event raised nearly $90,000 and counting to send families to Camp Sunshine. Click through a gallery of photos from David Madison Photography.
Some 266 brave and generous souls took the plunge into the icy waters Saturday at the 7th Annual Virginia Polar Dip in Reston. With temps in the 40s, it was a "warm" window between chilly winter days at Reston's Lake Anne Plaza.
Some participants were dressed simply in swimsuits and T-shirts while many Saturday were wearing everything from tutus to super hero costumes.
In all, donors raised $88,050 (so far) and are expecting that number to climb even higher. "That will send 44 families to Camp Sunshine," organizers noted on their Facebook page. Camp Sunshine is a retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
The Virginia Polar Dip was started by the Toth family in 2008 after a long history with Camp Sunshine. They first attended Camp Sunshine as a participating family in 1996 when their daughter Jennifer was a cancer patient at age 3, and they have returned as volunteers every summer since. After Jennifer participated in a Camp Sunshine Polar Dip in New Jersey, her family decided to bring the event to Virginia in order to help more local families.
David Madison Photography was on hand Saturday to snap the big plunge. With Madison's permission, Patch is publishing a selection of his photos here.
Did you take the plunge Saturday? What was it like participating in the Virginia Polar Dip?
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