Long Beach Polar Bears Host 14th Annual 'Super Bowl Splash' For Charity
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Some brave Long Islanders took the plunge this afternoon, jumping into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Long Beach.
The 14th annual "Super Bowl Splash" is a fundraiser that benefits the Metro New York and Western New York Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Superstorm Sandy destroyed the Long Beach boardwalk, but the Polar Bear club kept the spirit alive with the frigid annual tradition.
Long Beach Polar Bears Host 14th Annual 'Super Bowl Splash' For Charity
"It's very, very, very cold. That's all I've got to say," said Wally from Levittown. "I thought my bathing suit was going to fall down, but it all stayed up."
Members of the children's charity and chapter president Pat Clemency joined members of the Long Beach Polar Bears Club in the frigid dip in Reynolds Channel.
Some locals who braved the cold waters said this was the first time they've seen their neighbors since Sandy hit.
"It is bone-chilling cold. It's painful, it's very painful," Long Beach resident Camila Tepper told Miller. "It's just nice to see something like that didn't really affect us that much. You know, not our spirit."
The fundraiser brought in more than $318,000 in online donations, according to the Long Beach Polar Bears club website.
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