Long Beach Polar Bears raised $500,000

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Despite being one of the coldest Super Bowl Splashes in recent memory, the Long Beach Polar Bears brought in $500,000 at their annual event earlier this month. All proceeds benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

“Hundreds of seriously ill children in our area have had their magical wishes come true because of the passion and dedication of the Long Beach Polar Bears Club,” Pat Clemency, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York, said in a statement announcing the total for this year’s event.

“It’s a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when members of a remarkable community come together. Even the bitterly cold weather this year did not deter the joyful crowds that come out each year to support Make-A-Wish. The generosity of the Long Beach Polar Bears and the Long Beach community helps bring hope, strength and joy to Wish Kids. We cannot thank them enough,” the statement continued.

Long Beach residents have been running into the Atlantic every Super Bowl Sunday for the past 16 years to raise money for Make-a-Wish. Since the first official plunge in 2000, the Polar Bears have raised over $4.8 million for the organization.

Polar Bear founders Pete Meyers and Kevin McCarthy first decided to take a mid-winter swim in the ocean on Super Bowl Sunday in 1998 and the tradition caught on with others in Long Beach and eventually the neighboring communities on Long Island as well.

They eventually decided to turn the tradition into a fundraising event for Make-A-Wish, in honor of their friend Mike Bradley’s son, Paulie, who had died of cancer in 1997, at age 4. Mike’s wife, Patti, died in 2009, and the Splash now honors her as well.