Massachusetts police departments brave frigid ocean temperatures to support Make-A-Wish
By Aaron Parseghian
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MASSACHUETTS (WBZ) — Sunday was the third day of spring, but it didn’t exactly feel like beach weather. That didn’t stop police officers from several Merrimack Valley-area departments from running straight into the cold water at Short Beach in Nahant.
The event marked the culmination of a fundraising effort that included selling custom patches, helping departments raise thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“It took a little bit of buy-in, a little bit of selling, but for Make-A-Wish, I think we’re going to brave the waters for this great cause and organization,” said Lt. Brian Gendron of the Westford Police Department.
Westford among eight departments taking part, including Billerica, Chelmsford, Carlisle, Nahant, Stoneham, Tyngsborough, and Tewksbury.
Organizers say the money raised plays a critical role in supporting children facing serious illnesses and their families.
“It raises money that is critical to helping us achieve our mission of granting wishes for children with life-threatening critical illnesses, but also as a show of support for the families that we serve, for these families who are going through so much,” said Kara Walker with Make-A-Wish.
Among those families is the LeConti family. Brianna LeConti’s younger brother Bryce had a wish granted in 2010, an experience that left a lasting impact.
“It was very healing, we got to be together as a family, something that was very rare as he spent most of my childhood in the hospital,” LeConti explained. “Just heal together and be together and be what we would say a typical family.”
Back on the beach, officers sprinted across the sand and into the cold Atlantic Ocean, drawing cheers as they showed their support.
“We have a long-standing culture of community involvement, and if you have a happy police department, you have happy communities, so that’s the most important thing,” said Dep. Chief Gary Hannagan of Chelmsford Police.
The chattering teeth-filled smiles told the story as officers shouted “Make-A-Wish” after emerging from the water.
The fundraising push comes just ahead of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island granting its 11,000th wish to a 4-year-old in Marblehead next weekend.
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