By Chris Reagle | Wicked Local Mattapoisett with News from the Sentinel
MATTAPOISETT — More than six dozen hardy souls took to the icy water off Town Beach on Christmas Day to raise money for a program that offers therapeutic horseback riding for adults with disabilities.
“It was a great turnout,” Debbi Dyson, a coordinator of the annual event, said. “Actually, it was the largest we have had so far. We had about 70 swimmers and at least 100 onlookers, that’s what I’m guessing).
Four Santas, Ben Zakin, of New Zealand, and Corinne Jordan, Brady Shwartz and Colin Butterfield, get into the spirit of the Helping Hands and Hooves Christmas Day Swim at Mattapoisett Town Beach.
“This is the 12th annual Christmas day swim,” she said. “Amazingly, we have a handful of people who have done it every year – the Kiernan family, Yvonne Haitsma, my brother, Brendan Goss, and the Browning family. It is a wonderful event that brings families together to give back on a day that can sometimes be about presents to our immediate families.”
Swimmers and onlookers arrived at the Town Beach around 11 a.m. and the beach was completely empty by about 11:45 a.m. In between, people were offered free hot drinks. Long sleeve t-shirts commemorating the benefit swim sold for $15 each.
“We raised $3,000, which will pay for all of our spring lessons for Helping Hands and Hooves,” Dyson said. “This is 100 percent of our profits.”
Organizers say they are thrilled with the turnout each year and the money it raises because it brings so much happiness and a recreational outlet for people who have fewer options. But they are equally glad for the response it brings from some unexpected places.
“We are so blessed that we receive so many donations above and beyond that amount and a few of our younger swimmers actually find the donation in their stockings from Santa,” Dyson said.
Helping Hands and Hooves is a non-profit based in Mattapoisett that offers therapeutic horseback riding lessons to adults with disabilities.
