Photo Credit: Ithaca Community Recovery/Ithaca Chill Challenge

ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) -- It's that time of year to wear your swimsuits and costumes and head down to Cayuga Lake for the 10th Annual Ithaca Chill Challenge. The polar plunge helps raise money for Ithaca Community Recovery.

Over 60 participants are dressing up this year alongside friends, family, and dozens of sponsors helping to raise money for ICR. All proceeds raised will go right back to ICR to continue providing help and resources to those recovering from addiction.

For local do-gooders, New Year's Day at the Ithaca Yacht Club will be when and where they find out who exactly is taking a dip and who gets to dodge the jump in the chilly waters.

"The Ithaca Chill Challenge is kind of our premier fundraising event every year," said Alana Byrd, the press secretary for Ithaca Community Recovery as well as a participant in the plunge for the last three years. "We do have some smaller fundraising events every year, but the Ithaca Chill Challenge is kind of the big one. So basically what happens is people sign up to participate and then those participants raise money from their friends, family, community and it's we call it like a polar plunge with a twist."

Ithaca Community Recovery is a not-for-profit organization that provides space for people to come together for 12-step programs, recovery groups, family support groups for addicts and alcoholics, and more.

Organizers say last year the Ithaca Chill Challenge brought in $52,000 for the organization. Those proceeds continue to make daily programming possible for the group. This year, the groups goal is around the same, sitting at $50,000. At the time of this writing, almost $40,000 have been raised. All proceeds from this year's plunge will benefit a newly implemented program.

"We've done some pretty big things," said Byrd. "We host several events every year. I do want to talk about a big one this year that we implemented. It's a couple of Narcan boxes around our facility. So those are available to anyone in the public to take for free, absolutely. They are constantly stocked by a group of volunteers and we make sure that we are always a safe place for people to come."

Participants and teams have their own pages set up on the Ithaca Chill Challenge website where donors can pay to vote on dip or dodge, also determining the fates of those who committed to the challenge. Whether you take a dip in Cayuga Lake or are one of those lucky enough to dodge the cold, all of your collected donations from both dipping and dodging will still count toward the cause.

To add to the fun, Byrd shares that people are able to dress up in costumes. She shares that she has and will continue to appear as Mr. Chicken Man.

Prizes will be awarded to the top five individuals and top three teams who raised the most money. Also, prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. But, no participant is left behind, as all will receive a gift in this year's challenge.

Several participants have done the Ithaca Chill Challenge for years. In fact, one special guest is returning this year after taking the dip back in January. As of this writing, his odds are leaning towards dip once again.

"It was quite a refreshing and brisk experience last year and I am more than happy to get thrown back in that lake," said Mayor Robert Cantelmo of the City of Ithaca. "But again, I'd have to say you know folks can still donate and we want to make sure, if you want to see me freezing cold on New Year's Day, there's a really good opportunity to continue to support a great cause for the next 48 hours."

If you want to contribute to Mayor Cantelmo's dip or dodge, you can check out his page here.

Mayor Cantelmo and Byrd both agree that the biggest part of this event, however, is the community. People are coming to not only support the cause monetarily but also lend their support to those in the community who may be facing addiction issues, know someone who is, or are in the process of recovery.

"I think one of the things I really want to emphasize is you know, this is an organization that just does a tremendous amount for the broader Ithaca community and they do it without ever having received any government dollars, and I think that's one of the most impressive things here and that's one of the reasons that this fundraiser is so crucial, because this is, you know, community members supporting community members," said Mayor Cantelmo.

The polar plunge will take place at the Ithaca Yacht Club at 1090 Glenwood Rd on New Year's Day at 1:00 P.M. This is where the event has been held annually and Byrd says ICR is thankful for the club's continued support year after year.

"We’re happy to start each year hosting such a fun event that gets people outside and into the chilly waters for a great cause of helping members of our community have a fresh start of their own," said Liz Singh, the Ithaca Yacht Club's 2025 Commodore.

From now until around 12:00 P.M. on New Year's Day, you still have a chance to donate to the cause. If you would like to do so, you can head to the Ithaca Chill Challenge's website.

If you or a loved one are seeking help for struggles with alcohol or addiction, you can visit the Ithaca Community Recovery's website for a list of resources. You can also call the organization at 607-216-8754. Additionally, Byrd suggests heading to Ithaca Alcoholics Anonymous for more.

The Ithaca Community Recovery center is located at 518 W Seneca Street in Ithaca.