Take the plunge for Catholic education
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
The temperatures outside might be frightfully cold, but the forecast for Jan. 12 will be warmed by the thousands of people who will demonstrate their love and support for Catholic education during the eighth Polar Plunge for Catholic Education to be held on Pier Village in Long Branch. The Polar Plunge is organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians Patrick Torphy Division of Middletown designed to raise funds for Catholic education.
“The AOH fundraises to cover all of the event expenses, so that schools can keep what they raise,” said Jim Shaw, a member of St. Mary Parish, New Monmouth, who introduced the Polar Plunge in 2007, an event that over the years has raised some $535,000 for Catholic schools in the area. Looking ahead to the eighth Polar Plunge a little more than a week away, Shaw anticipates that more than 1,200 people will “take the plunge” and charge into the Atlantic Ocean while another couple of thousand cheer them on from the shore. Shaw said that schools are still able to “get people to take the plunge for them,” noting that among the ways money can be raised are through special collections at Mass or by having schools set up individual fund-raising sites to contact potential supporters. Over the past months, schools have obtained business sponsors or held other activities such as hosting dinners and selling raffles and t-shirts to provide incentives for people to donate.
To date, Shaw said that Hibernian divisions from Freehold, Trenton, Belmar, South Amboy and Bergen will join the Jan. 12 Polar Plunge to support their member schools. Among the schools from the Trenton Diocese expected to participate in the event include Mater Dei Prep and St. Mary School, both New Monmouth; St. Aloysius School, Jackson; Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville; Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton; St. Benedict and St. John Vianney High School, both Holmdel, Red Bank Catholic High School and St. James School, both Red Bank; All Saints Regional, Manahawkin; Christian Brothers Academy and St. Leo the Great, both in Lincroft, and St. Veronica School, Howell.
Registration for the Polar Plunge will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Plungers will hit the water at 1 p.m. A party will follow in McLoone’s at Pier Village.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities, visit http://aohplunge. blogspot.com/; email: aohpolarplunge@ yahoo.com or call 908-235-8380.
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The temperatures outside might be frightfully cold, but the forecast for Jan. 12 will be warmed by the thousands of people who will demonstrate their love and support for Catholic education during the eighth Polar Plunge for Catholic Education to be held on Pier Village in Long Branch. The Polar Plunge is organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians Patrick Torphy Division of Middletown designed to raise funds for Catholic education.
“The AOH fundraises to cover all of the event expenses, so that schools can keep what they raise,” said Jim Shaw, a member of St. Mary Parish, New Monmouth, who introduced the Polar Plunge in 2007, an event that over the years has raised some $535,000 for Catholic schools in the area. Looking ahead to the eighth Polar Plunge a little more than a week away, Shaw anticipates that more than 1,200 people will “take the plunge” and charge into the Atlantic Ocean while another couple of thousand cheer them on from the shore. Shaw said that schools are still able to “get people to take the plunge for them,” noting that among the ways money can be raised are through special collections at Mass or by having schools set up individual fund-raising sites to contact potential supporters. Over the past months, schools have obtained business sponsors or held other activities such as hosting dinners and selling raffles and t-shirts to provide incentives for people to donate.
To date, Shaw said that Hibernian divisions from Freehold, Trenton, Belmar, South Amboy and Bergen will join the Jan. 12 Polar Plunge to support their member schools. Among the schools from the Trenton Diocese expected to participate in the event include Mater Dei Prep and St. Mary School, both New Monmouth; St. Aloysius School, Jackson; Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville; Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton; St. Benedict and St. John Vianney High School, both Holmdel, Red Bank Catholic High School and St. James School, both Red Bank; All Saints Regional, Manahawkin; Christian Brothers Academy and St. Leo the Great, both in Lincroft, and St. Veronica School, Howell.
Registration for the Polar Plunge will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Plungers will hit the water at 1 p.m. A party will follow in McLoone’s at Pier Village.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities, visit http://aohplunge. blogspot.com/; email: aohpolarplunge@ yahoo.com or call 908-235-8380.