Cold Lake, Warm Hearts — Plunge Means ‘More Good Days’ for Stricken Kids

Jimmy and Maripat Janchenko pose for a picture with their kids, from left, Makinley, Finley, and Easton, during the Manhattan Fire Buddies' first Polar Plunge fundraiser on March 29. The event raised about $25,000 to help kids stricken with severe illnesses. (Photo by Stephanie Irvine)

By Stephanie Irvine

Project Fire Buddies hosted its first-ever Lake Jump in Manhattan, raising approximately $25,000 to provide “more good days” for kids facing critical, often terminal, illnesses.

The March 29 event saw 66 jumpers take a frigid jump into the chilly waters of one of the lakes in the Sunset Lakes subdivision in Manhattan after raising funds for the cause. The weather outside was seasonably pleasant at about 65 degrees; the water was anything but.

“It was awful!” Jackie O’Hara said when asked if the water was as cold as she expected. “When you jumped in, it felt like pins and needles just pierced your entire body, but the fact that we raised $25,000 to just jump in the lake, I’d do it again, three times over.”

O’Hara is on the board of the Manhattan chapter and also serves as the Fire and Life Safety educator for the Manhattan Fire Protection District.

Project Fire Buddies Chief Development Officer Jeff Goworowski had wanted to find a lake where they could hold a fundraising event like the lake jump.

Project Fire Buddies’ Team Member Coordinator Maripat Janchenko and her husband, Jimmy, a firefighter and board member of the Justice Fire Buddies Chapter, knew the perfect place.

The Janchenko’s Sunset Lakes lakefront backyard had ample space, complete with a fire pit to warm up by after the jump — so they offered it up and helped organized the event.

“We not only achieved our goal, but surpassed our goal of $20,000. We had a great sponsor, Costello McMahon, Gilbreth and Murphy, LTD., who covered all of the towels, shirts and expenses for us, so all of the money raised goes directly to our fire buddies,” Maripat Janchenko said of the event’s success.

Janchenko got involved with the organization after her husband told her about its mission, which she “just fell in love with.”

Safety for the event was top-notch, with Manhattan Police Department, closing a section of the road for those coming and going. The Manhattan Fire Protection District had a team ready and watching the water.

For minimal disruption to the subdivision, a coach bus transported the jumpers from Midtown Bar & Grill in Manhattan to and from the lake.

The faces of the Fire Buddies adorned signs along the lakefront as people gathered to watch the jumps and hang out after, reminding everyone what the event was all about, though it was clear they all knew the mission.

Manhattan Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Dave Piper also jumped in, helping to raise funds with the Manhattan Chapter.

“It was a great event for Project Fire Buddies,” Piper said noting it was nice to have an event for the cause locally in Manhattan.

“It’s really nice out here, but the water was very, very cold. So, we got in, and once you come out of the water, it is kind of invigorating. It felt like it was 85 degrees when you got out. It was fun to be able to do it with a bunch of friends and all the people here for a good cause.”

The Lake Jump event drew in participants not just from Manhattan, but from all over Chicagoland.

The Oak Park chapter brought out its President Joe Milosovic and Vice President Nate Holdman, along with Oak Park Firefighter Paramedic Brett Mercado, with all three acknowledging the cold water, but affirming it was “worth it.”

“The best thing about it was raising the money, and the second best is that it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be,” Holdman said.

From Lombard, teachers Rossana Damore and Margaret Palczynski, support the local chapter of fire buddies, having connections to both the kids and firefighters.

“Whatever we can do to support the kids — that’s what it’s all about,” Damore said.

“With Project Fire Buddies, they’re helping families get through it with grace — we’re there for you,” Palczynski added.

Project Fire Buddies was founded in 2016 by Oak Forest firefighter/paramedic Kurt DeGroot with a mission to help sick kids. The idea took off, and in January 2020, it obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The organization now has 125 chapters and operates out of fire stations in 11 states.

They currently have 150 fire buddies, with 94 added in 2024.

“Our goal is to help these kids just have ‘more good days.’ And that’s what we do,” Janchenko explained.

“We visit them, spend the holiday with them, pop in, everything from bringing their special toy or a spa day, or just come to the firehouse we’re going to make pizzas and cookies. Just putting more smiles on the kids’ faces.”

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.