Burton View

New fundraiser for Ireland’s Dream is an arctic plunge at Lake Callis




DAVISON TWP. — Ireland’s Dream will hold its inaugural Arctic Splash “Freezing for a Reason” fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The event, a polar plunge into the freezing waters of Lake Callis, 1152 N. Gale Rd. in Davison Township, is being called another opportunity to further the mission of Ireland’s Dream to provide revolutionary therapy for children with cerebral palsy, in Davison.

Dr. Megan Strauchman, who started the non-profit organization Ireland’s Dream with husband Dr. Mark Morningstar, after their daughter, Ireland, 10, was born with cerebral palsy.

The organization holds fundraising events year-round, including races, golf scrambles, a softball tournament and more.

Strauchman said the Arctic Splash came about because she needed a winter event to keep fundraising efforts going for the planned $22 million facility the couple hopes to build at 1440 Cal Dr., off Lippincott Boulevard, just east of State Road.

The facility will be built in three phases: a therapy center, a residence, which Strauchman likens to a Ronald McDonald house where families can bring their children with cerebral palsy and stay for days or weeks at a time and an Olympic sized pool and other hydrotherapy equipment.

There will also be softball fields on the grounds for Ireland’s Dream’s travel softball team, the Shillelaghs, which is what she plans to spend money raised by the Arctic Splash event.

“Our goal is to have at least one fundraiser a month,” she said. “It will help fill a void, but it also sounded like a lot of fun too. It is something different than all our other fundraisers, and it really gets the community involved.”

Strauchman said the Arctic Splash involves more community involvement than the other events put on by Ireland’s Dream because its open to anybody.

“Not everybody golfs, not everybody runs, not everybody wants to go to a St. Patrick’s party, but you can jump in the water,” she said. “Anybody can jump in the water and it’s good for you. Cold water baths are indeed very good for you.”

The funds raised by the event will go toward the planned groundbreaking in April of the area’s first baseball field that is accessible by those who are handicapped and physically able, so it will be convertible for either use, said Strauchman.

She said Ireland’s Dream has a baseball team it formed last year called the CP (Cerebral Palsy) Warriors, which played on fields in Clio last summer, so this year she hopes they have their own field to be located in the northeast corner of the Cal Drive site in Davison Township.

“The money is always for Ireland’s Dream, but the money from this will be going to get (the field) going,” said Strauchman. “That’s the first things we’ve had money given to us for, so we are going to go in that direction.”

Anyone can participate in the Arctic Splash as an individual, or as part of a team. Individual incentives for winning and participation are the same, whether you’re part of a team or not.

If you would like to join as part of a team, but don’t see your team listed, you can create one. Simply email shurley@irelandsdream.com for help registering.

Once a team is registered, that team can officially challenge other teams in the team vs. team fundraising challenge.

Registration is Friday night, Feb. 10, at Sugarbush Golf Club, 1 Sugarbush Dr., in Davison Township starting at 7 p.m.

Once you are signed up you will be emailed a link to create your fundraising page. Each individual must raise a minimum of $50 to jump in the water.

Follow the link to reserve your registration at www.classy.org/…/arctic-splash…/e456468