It took a freezing lake to warm the hearts of a few local residents last weekend.
Over 200 people gathered at Lake Gilman in Mullica Hill last month for the 7th annual Polar Plunge to raise money for two local families with health and economic issues.
This year’s event — which took place on the afternoon of Feb. 22 — raised a record-breaking amount of over $18,000, according to co-organizer Henry Amanto. Every penny will go to two local recipients, Harry Knorr and Neal Ewan.
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- Recipient Harry Knorr and his wife Yvonne shown at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge in Mullica Hill. The event raised over 18,000 for the Knorr and Ewan family.
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- Henry Amanto, one of the original organizers of the event, poses in the cold water of Lake Gilman during the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- An event goer leaps off the rope swing into the cold water of Lake Gilman. He and a group of over 10 people took the daring jump into the lake during the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- West Deptford resident Meghan Marcussen, 14, poses before she dives into the cold water of Lake Gilman in Mullica Hill during the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- (From left) Shown are Ray Startzel, 9, Tobi Olszewski, of Manayunk, Rose Bucci, Frankie Cargill, 3, and Mandy Cargill of Mantua Township dressed as Dr. Seuss characters at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- (From left) Carley, 5, Dylan, 2, and Ashley Forster of Franklinville pose for a picture after Carley jumped in the cold water of Lake Gilman.
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- (From left) Mullica Hill residents Neil Bolton, Alli Bolton and Zach Catenacca won the Best Entrance award at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge by riding a canoe to the event while dressed as Vikings.
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- Siblings Nathan, 18, and Martina Diehl, 20, of Mullica Hill, push each other in the cold water of Lake Gilman at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- National Park resident Nick Ridgway jumps in the water dressed in an elf costume.
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- Carley Forster, 5, of Franklinville, received the Youngest In The Water award at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge.
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- Show is Mickelton resident Bret McQuade during the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge on Feb. 22.
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- A diver leaps into the cold water during the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge on Feb. 22.
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- Mullica Hill resident Jay Drill takes the first plunge of the year.
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- Shown is Henry Amanto, one of the original organizers of the event, speaking to a crowd of over 200 people before a group of volunteers plunged into the winter waters of Lake Gilman on Feb. 22.
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- (From left) Mullica Hill residents Neil Bolton, Alli Bolton and Zach Catenacca shown after they received the Best Entrance award at the 7th annual Lake Gilman Polar Plunge. They arrived to the event riding a canoe along Lake Gilman while dressed as Vikings.
Knorr, a lifelong Mullica Hill resident, was diagnosed five years ago with a rare mutation of Stage 4 lung cancer that metastasized to his brain. As a non-smoker, the 58-year-old was surprised at the diagnosis. He has been married for 35 years to his wife, Yvonne, and has two daughters, Jessica and Kristen.
Even after he was informed at his diagnosis that he had about a year to live, to this day Knorr and his doctors aggressive tackle the cancer. Treatments have included surgical procedures (including brain surgery), numerous chemo and radiation treatments, clinical trials and current immunotherapy. The money from the fundraiser will go toward medical bills.
“I’m humbled by the fact they did this for me,” he said of the Polar Plunge. “The people that organized, sponsored and participated are incredible. It’s great to live in a community that I have this opportunity.
“It’s been a battle and every day is a challenge,” Knorr admitted. “There’s no one I can thank more than my family, especially my wife and children, for getting me this far.”
Ewan, the other fundraiser recipient, is paying out of pocket to fix his family’s house after a tree fell on it over a year ago. His wife, Nancy, is the only source of income because Ewan has epilepsy and can’t work. They have two children.
The idea for the event started in 2014 when Amanto began caring for his father, who was in deteriorating health and had just gone into a coma. Amanto’s good friend, Dave Diehl, offered to hold a polar plunge fundraiser, an idea he’d been sitting on given that his house was on a lake.
Each year Amanto and Diehl search for new fundraiser recipients in the local area. They vet each candidate through community outreach and word of mouth.
“I can’t say enough about it,” Amanto noted. “I look at where it was the first year, where people made and brought food, to now our seventh year, where everything is donated by local restaurants.
“It’s becoming an annual event that people look forward to. It brings overwhelming joy.”
The event is catered free by several local restaurants, some of which have donated food since the second annual event, according to Amanto.
“Everybody came together and loved and enjoyed their time,” he said. “That, to me, is so amazing.”
