Polar Plunge Raises Money For Family Of Suburban Man With ALS
(CBS) -- About 300 people took a cold dip in Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach Saturday after chipping away at the shelf ice to be able to get into the water, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.
The mild weather had some people standing around on the beach in their bathing suits before taking the plunge but the water in the 30s was still water in the 30s.
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This Polar Plunge dubbed "A celebration of shrinkage" by the Lakeview Polar Bear Club is a fundraiser. Brian Marshall started the event with two friends 14 years ago and since then has raised a lot of money to help out families in need.
"A quarter of a million dollars…it just blows us away," he said.
Derek Hogg's family is benefitting from this event. He was a firefighter in Kankakee and Wilmington stricken with ALS.
"It is hard being so young and having a young family," Hogg said. "I have a two-and- a-half year-old boy and an 11 month old boy, so they are at the age where they want to wrestle with their old man and you just want to throw them up in the air. It is kind of difficult to face that reality."
He said seeing all the people gave him more strength.
