250 Splash in Record Cold to Save Summer Program

On March 5, over 250 brave beach lovers plunged into Boston Harbor at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston in record-breaking cold temperatures as part of the Harpoon Shamrock Splash to benefit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

Bridget Ryan, a BPS teacher and South Boston resident, takes the plunge for the 6th year in a row,  raising $1365 for South Boston's beaches as part of this year's Harpoon Shamrock Splash. Splashers raised $7000 to support free beach events and programs on South Boston beaches this summer. 

This year, the “pledge and plunge” fundraiser raised over $50,000, crushing 2016’s fundraising record. All proceeds from the event supports Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program, which every year provides a spectacular summer of free concerts and beach festivals, sand sculpting competitions, and youth programs on the region's public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. You can find the exact tally at the event website at www.shamrocksplash.org.

This year’s Harpoon Shamrock Splash was the best ever, with post-plunge Harpoon beers and b.good burgers while Mix 104.1 and AMP 103.3 played hit music. After the event, participants went home to warm up with great Harpoon swag for reaching fundraising goals, and roundtrip JetBlue flights for the biggest fundraisers, and for those who showed up in the best costumes. All splashers and contributors had the opportunity to win in two post-splash JetBlue flight raffles. 

This year’s Harpoon Shamrock Splash was also the most important ever, with deep cuts to the metropolitan beaches budget this year, every dollar raised goes straight to help fund another great summer of free events and youth programs on our public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

More than 250 splashers get together for a photo in 20 degree weather before dashing to the water’s edge and taking the plunge in the clean, cold water of Boston Harbor. 

"Despite the budget cuts, Save the Harbor is committed to funding a full season of free beach events and programs this summer" said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. "All of us froze our fannies off at the Harpoon Shamrock Splash to make it happen."

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's plans to #savethesummer have just begun. This month they will issue a Request for Proposals for their 2016 Better Beaches grant program, which funded 40 great events on the region’s public beaches in 2016. You can read about the impact the cuts will have on beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull on their blog, and how you can help at http://www.blog.savetheharbor.org.

Record breaking cold couldn’t stop these beach-lovers from splashing Sunday to raise a record breaking $52,0000 to support free beach events and programs on their favorite beaches in 2017. 

Thanks to the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the more than 700 people who made pledges in support of the 2017 Harpoon Shamrock Splash. Thanks as well to Save the Harbor's Better Beaches program and policy partners and event sponsors at Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, b.good, Keezer Sportswear, The Boston Foundation, Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, MarineMax Russo, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Comcast, Google, Mix 104.1, AMP 103.3 and Boston Centers for Youth & Families, Sullivan's Castle Island and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.

About the Better Beaches Program

Save the Harbor launched the Better Beaches Program in 2008 to help local communities and beaches friends groups create and sustain free events and activities on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket, as recommended by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which we help lead and manage for the Legislature.

Over the past 8 years, Save the Harbor's community partners in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull have leveraged $628,700 in small grants received from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay with $1,918,065 in cash and in-kind contributions from local government and small businesses for a total investment of $2,504,725 in 391 free events and programs for the region’s residents and visitors alike.

In 2016, with the support of Save the Harbor’s foundation funders, program partners, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and hundreds of volunteers, the Better Beaches Program awarded $219,442 in small grants and organizational support to 43 groups in 9 beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods. In turn, these groups leveraged those funds to support 107 free concerts, fitness boot-camps, beach festivals, sand raking demonstrations and sand sculpting competitions.

You can download a copy of the most recent Better Beaches program report on our website at savetheharbor.org/Content/2016YouthReport.pdf 

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands and our region's public beaches, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org, their blog "Sea, Sand & Sky" at blog.savetheharbor.org, or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.