THUNDER BAY – Organizers have pre-emptively cancelled the 2021 Thunder Bay Polar Bear Plunge due to the COVID-19 pandemic, urging residents to support the four local charities that were set to benefit from the fundraiser in other ways.
The event, which sees hundreds jump into Lake Superior’s frigid waters for charity at Prince Arthur's Landing, raised more than $80,000 in 2019.
The group cited rising COVID-19 case numbers and gathering restrictions for the cancellation, in a release issued Friday.
The arrival of the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 plunge about two weeks before it was scheduled to take place in late March. The $30,000 that had already been raised was divided evenly among Roots to Harvest, the Thunder Bay Special Olympics chapter, CNIB Thunder Bay, and ALS Canada.
With the event cancelled for the second year in a row, organizers invited residents to support those groups in other ways.
“The Thunder Bay Polar Bear Plunge has been such a positive and inclusive event for over a decade,” said Roots to Harvest executive director Erin Beagle. “We’re all crossing our fingers that we’ll be back for 2022, and we hope the community will find ways to still contribute to the charities involved, because they could all use your support right now.”
CNIB Thunder Bay hoped to make up some of the lost funding through a “Chase the Ace” online lottery event, organizers noted, while residents could sign up for a virtual Walk to End ALS in 2021, with updates available by joining the Facebook group for the local event..
Those looking to support Thunder Bay’s Special Olympics chapter, meanwhile, can contact the group via its Facebook page.
Donations to Roots to Harvest’s Local Food Fund can be made at the organization’s website.
