Help support The Denmark Plunge

IN OVER HIS HEAD — Dylan DiMartino of Denmark got a shock from the icy waters of Moose Pond at last year’s Denmark Plunge, but it’s all for a good cause — raising money for Heifer International's program to send poor girls from developing countries to school.

IN OVER HIS HEAD — Dylan DiMartino of Denmark got a shock from the icy waters of Moose Pond at last year’s Denmark Plunge, but it’s all for a good cause — raising money for Heifer International's program to send poor girls from developing countries to school.

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

DENMARK — Some truly brave folks will jump through a hole in the ice into Moose Pond on Sunday, March 29. Why in the world would they do such a thing? Simple: to help women in developing countries, in other parts of the world.

It’s called the Denmark Plunge for Education, and it was begun last year by Chase Carus, a young woman from Brownfield, and John Patrick, pastor of the Denmark Congregational Church. With pledges raised by the jumpers, they raised $1,500 to donate to Heifer International's program to send girls to school.

The jumpers will gather around noon March 29, after church services, at the Town Boat Landing on Moose Pond. There, volunteers from the Denmark Fire Department will have cut a square hole in the ice and be standing ready. They’ll tie ropes around the jumper’s waists — just to make sure they don’t get lost — and then the jumpers will make the leap of faith.

Carus and Patrick both were very pleased by the amount they were able to raise last year, and are hoping to do even better this year. Anyone willing to pledge money in support of a jumper should contact Carus at 935-3156, and she’ll tell you how. There’s a website for the Denmark Plunge, www.denmarkplunge.weebly.com, where donations can be made and more information is available on the project.

In developing countries, girls are often denied the basic right of education. In many of these countries, more than twice the amount of girls than boys are not educated. Lack of education goes beyond simply not knowing facts. Girls who are not educated generally come from poor families, and the 10-20% increase in their future earnings per year of schooling will help them escape the cycle of poverty.