For many local families and friends, the annual Helping Hands and Hooves Christmas morning swim has become a tradition – a growing tradition, according to the Mattapoisett-based non-profit organization’s director, Julie Craig.
“This year was our best year yet,” she shared.
And the weather could not have been more agreeable as several dozen hale and hearty participants stood on Mattapoisett’s Town Beach awaiting the signal to plunge into the freezing seawater.
Buzzards Bay this time of the year has an average temperature of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. But taking the bite out of the cold water was a bright sun in the nearly cloudless sky. One could actually feel the heat of the sun; a tiny bit, anyway.
It wouldn’t have been a Christmas Day plunge without folks showing up dressed for the occasion in Santa suits, ‘ugly’ Christmas sweaters, fancy glittery neckties, and even a festively-dressed family dog.
Several intrepid bow-wows galloped into the salty brine following their humans.
Lou Casi of Mattapoisett attended the event with his son, Cabley, and nephew and first-time Christmas day swimmer Nate Syer, who was visiting from North Carolina. The 12-year-old boys sprang in and out of the water, no problem. Dad did okay, too, just a bit slower on the return.
The four-strong Foley family, along with their fur babies Annie and Breezin, were enjoying the party atmosphere. Breezin, a black lab, thought the whole event was just for him.
The event’s only challenge was the extreme low tide. This condition required the swimmers to slog out rather far before they reached enough depth to actually get fully wet. With screams, shouts, and with joyous laughter, the plungers appeared as a single unit moving quickly forward and back, grabbing towels and warm robes from their support teams onshore.
The event, while providing much-needed funding for the programs offered at Helping Hands and Hooves, also demonstrates to the community the need for enrichment, social opportunities, and the practice of daily living skills for those with developmental and cognitive disabilities that age-out of publically-funded education programs upon reaching the age of 22.
The programs offered at Helping hands and Hooves feature therapeutic horseback riding to assist in building confidence and self-esteem, as well as physical coordination and interaction with others.
Pat Goss, whose son Brendan has been attending programs at Craig’s Aucoot Road farm for the past 16 years, told The Wanderer during last year’s Christmas Swim, “There isn’t much for them once they reach a certain age.”
At Helping Hands and Hooves, cognitively and physically challenged adults have the chance to be outside, enjoy interaction with others, and experience the special therapeutic benefits animals provide humans.
Craig’s partner, Debbie Dyson said, “Many come from group homes where they don’t have a great deal of opportunity to socialize outside that setting.”
Dyson explained that at the farm the clients are happy, as evidenced by their demeanor, smiles, and overall joie de vivre.
To learn more about the programs and funding opportunities available at Helping Hands and Hooves, you can visit www.helpinghandsandhooves.org.
By Marilou Newell