In January 2020 my friend (with Hawaiian roots who'd recently relocated to the Thousand Islands from Charlotte, NC) and I were walking our dogs on a snowy day. She mentioned she was intrigued about the annual Polar Dip to benefit River Hospital. It was taking place Leap Day and she thought we should do it. The girl from Hawaii and North Carolina wanted to jump in the frozen river in February!?! Wow, good for her. Not this girl. Well, one thing led to another and our husbands got on board. Of course, then I did. Kimi, Jason, Don & I dipped on 2/29/20 as "The Average Joe's" from the movie "Dodgeball" and were shocked at how much fun we had and said we'd do it again next year.
Fast forward to post-pandemic to 2023 and the Polar Dip was back in person. It was a great opportunity to jump again and to add a couple new goals...recruit more people and raise $10K+ for River Hospital. We returned with a new team name: Sofa King Cold (say it outloud really fast!) and two new teammates (my childhood River friends Litzie & Jillian). Collectively Team Sofa King Cold was the top fundraising team having raised a little over $22,000!!!!! Talk about wow. We were blown away at everyone's generosity and support.
Team Sofa King Cold is excited for the 2024 Polar Dip (although without founding members Jason & Kimi, who sadly for us northerners, relocated to Florida last summer). Don, Litz, Jillian & I are gearing up for 2/24/24 and hoping to again raise over $20K for the hospital.
We all love The River and it holds a special place in our hearts for different reasons...us girls spent summers growing up together in Thousand Island Park and have been friends for 35+ years, 3 of the 4 of us are now year-round River Rats, Don & I got married here, Litz has fond memories of River time with her daughters, and so many other reasons.
River Hospital is important to the St Lawrenece River community and we all have relied on the hospital for friends and family or even for ourselves. River Hospital is the life line for many people here. We hope you will help us reach our $20K goal. Every little bit helps!