District 7120 Polar Bear Plunge

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District 7120's Rotex Rotaract Club is excited to announce its first annual district-wide Polar Bear Plunge Fundraiser!

Hosted by the Rotary Youth Exchange Committee and the Rotex Rotaract Club, the event will take place on

Sunday, April 6, 2025, at noon at The Beachcomber on Conesus Lake (5909 West Lake Rd, Conesus, NY 14435).

The event will begin at noon with registration and sign-in. Participants will turn in the money they raised and enjoy live music, food and drinks, and a Rotary classic, the 50/50 raffle.

The Plunge will take place in rounds, with individuals and teams grouped by age. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony, recognizing the following:

· The top three individual and team fundraisers

· The best individual and team costumes

· The youngest and oldest plungers

· The top three fundraising Rotary clubs (total affiliated fundraising/Rotarian)

We are seeking individual participants and teams to take the plunge. Participants will raise funds through sponsorships from family, friends, and colleagues. The event is also welcoming corporate sponsors at all tier levels. 

To sign up, individuals and teams can click on the registration link available on this webpage.

Participants who raise $100 or more will receive a free lunch donated by The Beachcomber. Those who raise $200 or more will also receive a custom event t-shirt (additional t-shirts will be available for purchase by participants and attendees). Teams can also earn these perks by meeting fundraising thresholds based on team size or by raising a   minimum of $1,500 overall.

All net profits will be distributed as follows:

Funds raised will support Rotary-sponsored summer camps, including:

·  Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp

·  Camp Haccamo,

·  Camp Onseyawa

·  Genesee Valley Rotary Camp

·  Camp Star

·  The Rotex Rotaract operating budget, which includes scholarships to enable students from all economic backgrounds to participate in international youth exchanges, community outreach activities, events for inbound/outbound exchange students, and up-front costs for next year’s fundraiser.

·  The top three fundraising clubs (total affiliated fundraising/Rotarian) will have donations made in their name to Rotary International Foundation as well as receive financial contributions of an equal amount to their general budgets, supporting their various community outreach programs.

Every time an individual or team registers for the event they’ll have the option to affiliate their fundraising to a specific Rotary club in our district, we also ask all new corporate sponsors this question as well. During the event, funds will be counted, and the top three clubs that raise the most money per Rotarian (via individuals, teams, and/or corporate sponsors) will receive a portion respectively in descending order from the total net event profits. Half of the amount they receive will be donated to the RI Foundation in their name, supporting Rotary's global humanitarian efforts, and gaining Paul Harris Fellow points that they can use to award their Rotarians with Rotary’s most prestigious award. The other half will go directly into their club’s general budget to spend further on community outreach, plan their own fundraisers, and with the end goal of increasing community awareness of Rotary and subsequently increasing membership. The winning clubs will also receive special recognition at the annual Rotary District 7120 Conference in Corning, NY (May 2-4, 2025) and, of course, bragging rights across the district.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the EMTs, divers, and police officers who will be volunteering their valuable time and support to ensure the safety of everyone at the event. And a big thank also goes to all of the participants, volunteers, donors, and  corporate sponsors who will come together in the spirit of Rotary to make this day of community and fun a reality.

 

“This event provides the perfect opportunity for past Rotary Youth Exchange students to fund the program we love and that gave us so much. It also provides us with the chance to give back to our Rotary District and the communities our local clubs serve. We hope that this event will foster collaboration and friendly competition between local schools, parishes, businesses, public services, and Rotary Clubs.” – Sylvia Rooney, Rotex Rotaract Club President

 

 

 

Contact Information: 

Rotex Rotaract Club: rotaryyouthexchange7120@gmail.com

Thomas May, Polar Plunge Project Coordinator:

 thomasowenmay@gmail.com, +1 (585) 447-4119

Sylvia Rooney, Rotex Rotaract Club President:

sylvia.amita@gmail.com, +1 (585) 435-7789