Hometown Hero: The Brigantine Polar Bears
By Cindy Fertsch
Everyone in Brigantine looks forward to the Polar Bear Plunge! The Brigantine Polar Bears are the nonprofit organization that make it all possible. What began in the year 2000 with just a couple hundred people, raising no funds at all, has grown to include more than 6,000 participants on the beach, large after parties and a town wide party fervor, all while raising $70,000 for charity.
The Brigantine Polar Bears include 60 volunteers, all headed up by three Board Trustees and a Polar Bear: Tricia Cosgrove, Emmett Turner, Rip Reynolds and Rosemary Kelly. This year the New Year’s Day Event was rescheduled due to extreme temperatures. “It was just too dangerous,” said Rosemary. It was held on January 13th instead and as luck would have it, temperatures were at least 40° warmer. However, the ocean temperature was colder than ever. That didn’t hold anyone back though. “We are still counting the dots on the drone photos,” reported Emmett Turner. Rosemary spent the day in costume as the Polar Bear, posing for many photos. “It is a giant party on the beach with a DJ and Phillips Seafood is there giving out hot soup to all that took the cold plunge” said Rosemary. “Everyone loves it and it is great for business.” It is held in front of the Laguna and there is a big party there afterwards. In recent years, participants have begun wearing costumes which has added a new element of fun to the festivities. A favorite this year was a large group that came in costumes, each representing one if the many Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. “It has gotten so big that it has replaced much of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. In Brigantine, New Year’s Day is the day to celebrate and party,” said Board Trustee, Tricia Cosgrove.
All of the money raised by the Brigantine Polar Bears is donated to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides comfort homes for families receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. “It is similar to Ronald McDonald Houses, but for veterans,” explains Rosemary Kelly. “We chose this charity for two reasons,” says Board Trustee, Emmett Turner. “ The first is we love our veterans and we want to help them. When a veteran’s family is able to be near them while they are receiving treatment , they respond better. The second is because the Fisher House Foundation has a four star rating; 97 cents of every dollar goes directly towards their mission.”
In total, the Brigantine Polar Bears have raised and donated over half a million dollars to Fisher House.
The Brigantine Polar Plunge is free so how do they raise so much for their charity? They sell long sleeve t-shirts and hoodie sweatshirts with sponsorship names on them. This year they had 170 sponsors. Sales for the t-shirts begin on Thanksgiving weekend and continue through the event. There is also some fun challenges that happen within the city administration. The deputy mayor, Andy Simpson, donated a $1000 – if the mayor and his wife plunged and another $1000 – if the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief plunged. They all took the challenge and $2000 was donated to Fisher House by Andy.
The Brigantine Polar Bears have created the perfect Win-Win. The plunge and festivities are a fun tradition for many families. There is an excitement, that is nearly tangible, with the plungers, onlookers and businesses in town, as the day approaches. And for the icing on the cake, they are raising big money for charities that support our veterans. Kudos to the Brigantine Polar Bears!
