Letter to the Editor

Successful Plunge

Thu, 01/14/2016 - 7:15am

Dear Editor:

On January 1, 2016 the Boothbay Region YMCA held the 14th Annual Penguin Plunge. The Penguin Plunge is a fundraiser to support the Y’s free 2nd grade Water Safety Program. The 60 second graders between the Edgecomb Eddy School and Boothbay Region Elementary School participate in the program, which integrates swimming and water safety instruction into their school day. This year, 21 registered plungers braved the cold Atlantic Ocean at the Murray Hill boat launch. Registrations, donations and sponsorships totaled just over $1,000.

This year’s plunge was held in recognition of Maxine Tourtillotte, a phenomenal member of our YMCA and this community. Maxine is the longest continuous member of the Boothbay Region YMCA, and is a great supporter of the YMCA’s aquatics programs for the young and old. We were honored to recognize her this year.

Co-directors Larry Brown and Shane Pennington would like to thank the individuals and groups listed below in no particular order:

1. Volunteer and staff committee members who coordinated and organized the event to ensure success.

2. The hearty plungers, sponsors and all of those who made donations.

3. The Boothbay Fire Department, Boothbay Region Ambulance and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

4. Boothbay Region Community Television and Jonne Trees for an excellent job capturing the plunge so everyone may enjoy it again and again.

5. Those individuals who sanded and shoveled the boat launch at Murray Hill.

6. Harbor Embroidery for the embroidery on the Plunge hats at a reasonable price.

7. The Knickerbocker Group for being a key sponsor of the Plunge every year for the past 14 years.

8. Maxine Tourtillotte and her family for their support of this year’s Plunge.

If you missed the Plunge, but would still like to support the YMCA’s free 2nd Grade Water Safety program, you can purchase an ultra warm, fleece lined Penguin Plunge hat at the YMCA for $25, or make an outright donation of any amount at any point during the year.

We hope to see you at the 2017 Plunge!

Boothbay Region YMCA