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More Than 100 Show Up to Support Freezin' for a Reason

Vienna family hosts Virginia Polar Dip to raise funds for Camp Sunshine

Would you jump into Lake Anne on a February day? More than 100 folks did Saturday to raise money for Camp Sunshine, a Maine camp for children who have faced life-threatening illness.

This is the fourth Freezin for a Reason, a fundraising effort coordinated by the Toth family of Vienna.

Jennifer Toth, daughter of Gail and Bill and sister of Julianna, is a 16-year cancer survivor. As a 2-year-old, Jennifer was treated for a rare liver tumor. The Toth family spent a week at Camp Sunshine, joined by other families in similiar predicaments, where they could relax and get a respite from the demands of the illness.

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When Jennifer was well, the family returned to Camp Sunshine each year to volunteer. Jennifer also participated in a Polar Dip in the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds. She decided she could involve more people and raise more money if she organized a local Polar Dip — and Freezin for a Reason Virginia was born.

Freezin' for a Reason took place Saturday in Lake Anne, which was approximately 32 degrees that morning. Air temperature reached about 37 degrees at the time of the plunge, with a sprinkling of snowy drizzle.

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Before the plunging could begin, the ice on the lake had to be broken. Four divers from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department worked with axes for nearly an hour to break apart the ice to clear a large enough space.

The crowd started to gather around 1 p.m. It was easy to pick out the people who were going to take the plunge: They were either showing off their costumes or looking petrified.

Jennifer's  sister, Julianna, is a spitfire, recruiting her headmistresses Emily Wind and Carolyn Linke at Montessori School of Oakton, among many others to jump. (This jump was Julianna's third. She's 7 years old.) 

Many of Jennifer's classmates from Flint Hill Upper School (and adminstrator Bill Clayton) jumped.

Some folks drove in from Maine and Rhode Island to take part in the Virginia Polar Dip. They said they also plan to participate in other Camp Sunshine plunges along the East Coast.

First, a handful of “chicken dippers” stuck toes into the water. Then the real action began. Pirates, princesses and hula dancers jumped, along with chiropractors, dentists, high school students and the team from Kalypsos Sports Tavern. Parents whose children have won the battle against cancer jumped in, and so did parents whose kids are in the process of beating cancer.

Chilli Amar, radio station MIX 107.3 personality, raised $1,500 and jumped in with her fiancé.  

were the last plungers. After that, everyone celebrated — and warmed up. 

The event has grown over the past four years from a handful of jumpers raising $7,000 to 114 people raising more than $75,000 at this year's event.

Correction: The Toth family resides in Vienna.

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