Kelowna man to jump into Okanagan Lake in support of refugees

KELOWNA – “What’s a little bit of icy water compared to some of the things they’ve been through,” Alan Monk says.

On Saturday morning, Monk will join at least 80 other Canadians in the Polar Swim for Refugees, an ad hoc fundraiser that started in Victoria and has caught on with swimmers in other parts of Canada, Africa and the Caribbean.

Alan’s brother Carl started the fundraiser in Victoria and has been trying to persuade him to do it for a couple of weeks.

“I finally broke down,” Monk laughs.

His brother didn’t have to convince him about the cause behind it, the international drive to help some of the four million Syrians who have been displaced since civil war started there four years ago.

“We all have to do our part. We want them to know they are welcome here, we see their hardship and tragedy. It’s the least we can do for people who have suffered so much.”

His brother and family are already involved in sponsoring a Syrian family from Lebanon.

Monk is taking pledges for his chilly dip, which will be collected by the United Church on behalf of the Central Okanagan Refugee Committee.

At this point, he’s the only Kelowna swimmer and is inviting one and all to join him at Boyce-Gyro Beach on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. for a 'short but intense' plunge into the frigid waters of Okanagan Lake. For more information, contact Alan through his Facebook page.

To contact a reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.