About the 2023 Virginia Polar Dip

Event Name: 2023 Virginia Polar Dip
When: February 11, 2023
Where: Reston Community Center, Lake Anne Village Center, Reston, VA
Time: Registration begins at noon and the dip is at 2:00 PM

 

 

For a list of our commonly
asked questions, please click here!

 

Why a Virginia based event for a camp in Maine?

The Virginia Polar Dip was started by the Toth family in 2008 after a long history with Camp Sunshine. They first attended Camp Sunshine as a participating family in 1996 when their daughter Jennifer was a cancer patient at age 3, and they have returned as volunteers every summer since. After Jennifer participated in a Camp Sunshine Polar Dip in New Jersey, her family decided to bring the event to Virginia in order to help more local families. With the success of the event over the past decade, they have expanded the area of families they are able to help.

Since the start of Camp Sunshine in 1984, we have provided a haven for more than 54,000 family members from 50 states and 27 countries. Sadly, even with multiple sessions being added annually at Camp Sunshine, there are still many more children being newly diagnosed each year. A bereavement session is also offered each year. Our program continues to be recommended by more than 100 treatment centers across the nation.

Our program is recommended by the following Mid-Atlantic area treatment centers: Children's National Medical Center in D.C., Georgetown University Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital, University of Virginia Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Medical College of Virginia, Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Maryland, University of Maryland Medical Center, Walter Reid Army Medical Center, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Hershey Medical Center, Lehigh Valley Hospital, St. Christopher Hospital for Children, West Virginia University Children's Hospital, Baptist Hospital/Brenners Children's, Duke University Medical Center, Levine Children's Hospital, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of NC Hospitals.

Founded in 1984, Camp Sunshine provides retreats combining respite, recreation and support, while enabling hope and promoting joy, for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through the various stages of a child’s illness.

Camp Sunshine is one of the only programs in the nation offered year-round with the distinction of having been designed to serve the entire family in a retreat model. The program is free of charge to families and includes on-site medical support. 

 

Additonal information: