Our Daily Show Interview! Freezing For Funds Set for 1-4-25!
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GODFREY - Godfrey’s third annual Freezing for Funds event is shaping up to be their best one yet.
On Jan. 4, 2025, community members will complete a polar plunge at Glazebrook Park Lake, with all proceeds going to a local organization. The deadline to register as a participant or sponsor is Dec. 20, 2024.
“We’re just trying to raise money for somebody in our community,” said Cami, one of the organizers. “It’s going to be a good time. We always have fun.”
You can visit FreezingForFunds.com to donate, register as a participant, or sponsor the event. Sponsorships cost $250. It costs $35 to participate and you will receive a shirt if you register by Dec. 20.
All participants and sponsors are asked to submit the name of a local nonprofit. At the event on Jan. 4, Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick will draw one of the nonprofits, and this charity receives all of the funds.
Organizers Cami and Mark noted that they gave the Alton Athletic Association over $3,000 during their first year, and then the YWCA received over $7,000 last year. They hope to see this number grow.
“We’re really excited to just do that again,” Cami said. “Our goal would be obviously to hopefully beat that, so we need everybody to log on and try to get their sponsorship or their participant registration.”
The organizers added that you don’t have to participate in the polar plunge to donate, and everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the day on Jan. 4. The fire department and EMTs will arrive at Glazebrook Park around 9 a.m. that day to complete some water rescue training activities. They will then be on hand for the plunge, which starts around 10 a.m.
“It’s kind of cool to get there early and watch them do [the water rescue training]. It’s really cool,” Mark said. “And then they stand by in case somebody freezes to death in the water, and then they’ll pull them out of the water.”
Mark and Cami joked about the plunge, noting that some people decide to dunk their heads underwater while others only make it ankle-deep. Whether you decide to participate or not, they added, it’s a fun morning for all involved.
Attendees can enjoy coffee from Shivers Frozen Custard and donuts from Duke Bakery. There will also be a warming van onsite, provided by the YWCA. Cami and Mark thanked Chris Sichra, the Godfrey Fire Department, the Village of Godfrey and the sponsors for their help in making this event possible.
The Freezing for Funds event was started by Cami Beaber Giertz, Craig Lombardi, Tawnya Hooper and Trisha Deanne Perks. These Alton High School Class of 1986 classmates decided they wanted to sponsor an event to raise money for local nonprofits. Now in its third year, Freezing for Funds has grown to include people from across the Metro area.
Cami and Mark remind those who are interested in participating or sponsoring the event to sign up by Dec. 20, 2024. For more information about the Freezing for Funds event, including how to donate, visit the official website.
“We’re excited,” Cami added. “It is cold, but we like going in.”
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