Polar Bear Plunge raises over $100k for Cerebral Palsy

It's not unusual to see crowds clad in bathing suits at the Manasquan beachfront — unless it happens to be mid-January.

However, that was the scene this past Saturday in town, where hundreds of people gathered for the annual "Polar Bear Plunge," organized by the LADACIN Network, and braved the cold for a good cause.

LADACIN, an Ocean-based nonprofit agency which provides therapeutic, social, residential and other services to more than 2,600 Monmouth and Ocean County residents with cerebral palsy and other physical and mental disabilities, has hosted the event for four years, organizers said.

"Plungers" were invited to enjoy pre-and post-plunge festivities at Leggett's, as the Manasquan bar, adjacent to the town's Main beach, has served as a home base for the day over the years.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m., those participating in the plunge could register with a monetary donation to LADACIN, and gear up for the main event with drink specials.

As it neared the official plunge time of 12:30 p.m., the excitement reached a fever pitch as the crowds — clad in everything from bathrobe-and-tiara combinations, to moose hats, to cartoon character-emblazoned boxer shorts — gathered at the starting line outside Leggett's for the official march to the nearby beach.

While snow stayed far from the event, temperatures remained below 40 degrees on Saturday.

A Color Guard, bagpipers of The Shillelagh Pipes and Drums of The Jersey Shore, and Lizzie Bennett, 45, who has cerebral palsy and is involved with LADACIN, led the short-but surely chilly-procession, where plungers and their supporters paused for the playing of the national anthem just before reaching the beach.

Then, many plungers broke into a run upon hitting the sand, with one, Spongebob-shorts clad Michael Caterina, 24, of Belmar, deadpanning that he was "getting chilly" at that point.

Plungers, including themed teams,such as one in colcrful ponchos and another in chicken hats, could be seen encouraging one another and snapping photos before tearing through a line of yellow tape and into the icy waters of the Atlantic.

The plungers ran no more than approximately 15 feet out into the water and quickly turned back to shore, with reactions raging from cold-induced shrieks to triumphant cheers and fists being waved in the air. Some did completely submerge themselves in the water.

"I can't feel my body," reported Caterina, who did the plunge "for charity (and) for fun," as he toweled off on-shore.

Next to him, a Batman-shorts wearing Christian Montaner, 26, of Jackson, noted that, "on a scale of 1 to 10, (I feel like a) 67," due to the positive nature of the event, he confirmed.

Upon exiting the water post-plunge, one had to decide, "Do I have legs or do I not have legs?" said Jessica Spivey, 29, of Howell.

"It's 35 degrees and it feels great," said one participant back at Leggett's, where many plungers chose to warm up and enjoy drinks and a buffet of hot food, which was also a chance for non-plungers to donate to LADACIN at $20 per person.

The post-event party lasted well into the afternoon, where Polar Bear Plunge organizer Joe Russell, 32, of Manasquan, reported that the event raised over $100,000 this year, to support LADACIN programs and services.

This number trumps last year's total of $93,000, Russell said.

Russell, the cousin of Lizzie Bennett, noted she has "been with LADACIN since birth."

As important as the money raised is, said Russell, events like the Polar Bear Plunge continue to bring LADACIN's existence "to the forefront" as a "best-kept secret" of the shore area, he said.