By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
Schools are readying to brave the chilly waters of the Atlantic in Sea Bright on Feb. 1 for the 19th annual Polar Plunge for Catholic Education – an event that has raised more than $2 million for Catholic schools in New Jersey across the years.
Hosted by Division 2 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Middletown – an Irish Catholic organization – most school groups will arrive on the Sea Bright Municipal Beach near the bathing pavilion by 11 a.m. with a plunge time of 1 p.m.
Catholic education supporters from St. James School, Red Bank, rush in and out of the cold water in the 2024 Polar Plunge in Sea Bright. Courtesy photo
“It’s always a great event. We have had as many as 1,000 people run into the water and an equal number on the beach,” said Jim Shaw, chairman of the Polar Plunge and AOH member. “We plan for 500, and see what happens on the day,” he added, noting that some participants even sign up the day of the event.
The plunge will cap National Catholic Schools Week, which highlights the many benefits of a Catholic education. As of Jan. 16, schools in the Diocese of Trenton that have signed up to participate include St. James, Red Bank; St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, and Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft.
Shaw noted that usually about 15 to 20 schools participate from across the state, with the largest number being 25. Schools set their own entrance fees and secure sponsors.
“Schools keep 100 percent of what they receive,” he said of the fundraising. “Some have raised as much as $100,000 in one day. It’s all about their sweat equity – what they put into it is what they get out of it.”
The AOH organizes and raises approximately $5,000 to fund the event, including insurance, presence of emergency medical services and law enforcement officers.
Catholic school families and students can register through their schools; registration will also be available in person at the event until 12:15 p.m.