Newport

The Newport Polar Bears invite all to join them as they dive into the ocean at Easton’s Beach in Newport at noon on New Year’s Day to provide financial support to a 1-year-old Portsmouth girl and a 7-year-old Little Compton boy who suffer from severe illnesses.

The Polar Bears partnered with A Wish Come True to hold this fund-raiser. Proceeds will buy medical equipment and help fulfill the dreams of these two local children.

Ellary Rose Kinnane was born last year to Craig and Cindy Kinnane, of Portsmouth, with congenital nemaline rod myopathy, a rare genetic neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and delayed motor development. Ellary cannot eat food orally because her swallowing muscles are affected by the disease. She requires 24-hour care and wears an alarm that sounds if she starts to choke on her saliva.

This disease is difficult to diagnose its severity until the child gets older. In its mildest form, children are able to crawl after a year. But some children are confined to wheelchairs, and those with the most severe form can die of respiratory failure. The Kinnanes must wait to see how the disease affects Ellary.

Craig and Cindy Kinnane say Ellary is “a very alert and happy baby” who reaches out for her favorite stuffed toys and loves visitors.

Austin Hayes, 7, of Little Compton, suffers from a brain tumor. His parents, Kristen and Leon, and sister, Haley, need help with his medical expenses.

Austin loves race cars and Mickey Mouse. One of his dreams will come true when he meets Mickey in January. He and his family will visit Disney World for a week, paid for by A Wish Come True.

Besides monetary donations, businesses and individuals can give items for raffle baskets and the auction that will happen after the plunge when everyone heads over to the Atlantic Beach Club for a celebration. You can also donate your time by offering to sell raffle tickets or collect donations during the event.

For those interested in making a donation for the Kinnane family, contact BJ and Paul at 401-635-2044 or e-mail at bjvalri2@aol.com by Dec. 29 so they can prepare for the event.

Any other questions about donations or being a part of the event can be made to Rosemary Bowers, executive director of A Wish Come True, at 401-624-7673.

Little Compton

Last year, so many people showed up to plunge into the frigid Atlantic on New Year’s Day that it caused a Little Compton rarity — a minor traffic jam.

Since it’s for a good cause, they hope for more of the same at the third annual New Year’s Day Penguin Plunge, to be held at South Shore Beach on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1 at noon. Registration will start at 11 a.m.

No wet suits or dry suits are permitted. All ages are eligible to participate, said Jennifer Kneeland, one of the event’s organizers.

Despite the prospects for wind and cold at that time of year, “everybody seems pretty eager to do it,” said Ms. Kneeland. “They stay long enough in the water to get wet, then they get out.”

Five minutes before the plunge, Ms. Kneeland said, swimmers line up behind a starting line, a ribbon is cut, and they head into the surf.

Members of the Little Compton Fire Department rescue unit will be present just in case.

The Penguin Plunge is a fundraiser for Little Compton’s Youth Action Council, a community service group which sponsors events for middle and high school youths in town. Fees for swimmers are $10 per individual, while for spectators the fee is $10 per carload.

The event has been approved by the Little Compton Town Council and the town beach commission. Participants will be asked to sign a release form.

Portsmouth Penguins

Stamp your feet, wear long johns and multiple layers and then quickly shed them right before the plunge — whatever it takes to join in the annual tradition of a swim at Island Park Beach on New Year’s Day.

For those interested in diving into frigid waters to start the New Year, meet before 10 a.m. at the Beach House, 506 Park Avenue. There’ll be coffee and doughnuts available before the swim and a breakfast buffet afterward.

Ken O’Brien, co-owner with brother Dave of the Beach House, says that anyone who attends their New Year’s Eve concert, can bring the ticket to the breakfast buffet and get a free mimosa — a little champagne may be needed to warm those bones.

Between 20-30 people are expected to plunge into the waters across the road from Flo’s Clam Shack. But those won’t include Ken or Dave O’Brien, the hosts of the event.

“I’m not jumping in because it’s too cold. I’m a warm-weather guy,” said Ken O’Brien, adding that he’s trying to get his brother to go for it. (Dave says no way.)

Prudence Island

Prudence Islanders will toss prudence aside and splash into the bay’s East Passage at Sand Point on New Year’s Day at high noon.

For those unwilling to get wet, there are less hair-raising events planned. The First Walk starts up at Farnham Farm, ventures down to the water “to watch the idiots jump in” (as one islander put it) and then heads back to the farm for a pot luck dinner and a talk on island history by Joe Bains.

Westport

Most polar swims start with a dash down the beach but not the hard-core version offered by Westport’s Back Eddy restaurant. Here, brave revelers plunge off the dock into the 6- to 9-foot deep river (depending on tide), some years dodging chunks of ice. Their reward — free brunch to help warm up. This year, the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. celebration marks the end of the Back Eddy’s tenth season.

Last year’s swim drew a record 133 people into the 37-degree water after one of the coldest Decembers on record.

The water is cooling off fast this year, said owner Sal Liotta who reported that there was a skim of ice over the cove last Tuesday morning. And he gleefully noted that the long-range Jan. 1 forecast calls for a high of 29 degrees, 5 degree windchill and intermittent snow.

“That’ll separate the wheat from the chaff,” he said.

Mr. Liotta jumped in for the first four or five years “but then I reached 40 and said this is crazy.” Now he enjoys the spectacle from above.

So popular has the event become that they have put in a few changes.

To make it easier for staff to know who paid for brunch and who earned it with a swim, arriving customers will pay for their meal ($25 includes tax and tip) and receive a bracelet that lets them come and go. Swimmers will get their bracelet when they emerge from the water.

“It was all getting pretty hectic. This should help,” he said.

Swimmers will need to need to sign a waiver and the number of free meals offered is limited for the first time to 150.

EMTs will be on hand just in case and this year the restaurant has added a swim ladder to help swimmers climb out— but the basic rule remains: You have to go all the way in to earn brunch.

Westport Penguins

For those preferring the slower way in, the Westport Penguins have been hosting a New Year’s Day plunge since it 1975 when it was organized by Jonathan Paull, Fred Johnson and Jack Dolan. Here courageous souls (about 50 last year) dash down the beach next to the yacht club at noon — all are welcome. This year’s event raises money for the Hole in the Wall Gang.