Donors are freezin' for a reason

Ludington, MI sits on the chilly shores of Lake Michigan almost 100 miles north of Grand Rapids. This past Saturday morning, about 200 people woke up early and participated in the 7th annual Lake Jump by running into the frigid water.

The event is a fundraiser. This year's event raised money for the Ludington Skate Park. According to a local radio station more than $60,000 in pledges had been raised. The Ludington Daily News reported that a $25,000 donation from Hardman construction ensured that the Ludington Skate Park will receive a matching grant from Dow.

The Lake Jump started as a hoax in 2000 - a dare between two disc jockeys at WMOM - which generated a crowd of about 50 spectators. In 2001, the Lake Jump became an event in the Harbor Master campaign and proceeds raised were donated to the Region IV Women's Shelter. From that point forward, WMOM has donated annual Lake Jump proceeds to a charitable organization and has had over 150 participants "jump in" the frigid waters of Lake Michigan for a good cause in recent years.

In case you were interested, a Google search using the keywords "jump in a cold lake fundraiser" returned more than 500,000 responses - including the article that gave me the idea for this article's title.