On Sunday morning, April 6, students braved 45 degree weather to participate in the annual St. Luke’s Polar Plunge. This year’s event raised over $2,200 for the Jane Lloyd Fund, the largest amount ever. Each plunger had to donate at least $5 in order to participate. After making the run into frigid Lake Wononscopomuc, students enjoyed hot cocoa, s’mores, home-baked treats, and a bonfire.
St. Luke’s Society, the student-led community service club, organizes the plunge each year. The club’s board recruited students, adults, and athletic teams to participate in the weeks leading up to the event. Since last year’s donation was smaller than in prior years, at only $800, Mrs. Caroline Kenny-Burchfield ’77, director of community partnerships and advisor to St. Luke’s, worked to increase contributions by organizing a challenge: if the club could raise $500, they would unlock an additional $500 for a total school gift of $1,000. She said, “They were so galvanized by the challenge that they blew past $500; in response, I increased the challenge to $600. As students, faculty and staff continued to donate, the size of the challenge match increased, ultimately reaching $1,000 the afternoon before the plunge!”
The Fund was founded in 2006 in honor of Ms. Lloyd, who died from breast cancer at the age of 42. Ms. Lloyd was self-employed and had no insurance when she was diagnosed. As a result, the local community came together to support Ms. Lloyd throughout her illness. “The town rallied around Jane and not only supported her emotionally, but monetarily,” said Ms. Donna Stoetzner, sister of Ms. Lloyd and advisory board member at the Fund.
The Jane Lloyd Fund currently provides support to those battling cancer in Connecticut’s northwest corner. Mrs. Burchfield said, “Donations from the event provide invaluable financial support to cancer patients, who often have to leave work because of the severity of cancer treatments. Lacking income, cancer patients are at risk of losing their homes, because they lack the funds to pay mortgage. They might struggle to put food on the table, pay utility bills, or buy gas for trips to cancer treatment centers, as there are no local treatment centers.”
Eleanor Helm ’25, co-head of St. Luke’s, said,“I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t know someone who has been affected or whose family has been affected by cancer. Being able to give families grant money to be able to afford day-to-day costs while their loved one is battling cancer is really special.”
The Polar Plunge has been a St. Luke’s tradition since 2017. It started as a local community event at the Salisbury Grove several years earlier, when the boys and girls lacrosse teams began plunging. As the number of students wishing to participate grew, the school was inspired to create its own version of the plunge. Helm ’25 said, “It’s a moment where the school really comes together. We all line up, count down, and dive into the water. It’s always cold, usually raining. It’s a really fun moment, when you do something that’s bigger than yourself.”
This year, for extra motivation, the team with the highest percentage of participating students received a Mizza’s Pizza feed as a reward. Varsity Rowing and Girls Varsity Lacrosse had the strongest participation, as both students and coaches participated. Rowing emerged victorious after final numbers were tallied, earning the feed.
