By CHRISTOPHER KAZARIAN
Courtesy of The Falmouth Enterprise

The Cape Cod Center for Women got a much-needed boost on Tuesday morning by the second annual New Year’s Day Run and Dunk at Old Silver Beach.

Proceeds from the six-mile run that ended with a quick swim at the beach go to benefit the center, which provides shelter and assistance for women who have been the victims of domestic violence.

There were 50 runners and an estimated 150 "dunkers" who showed up on Tuesday. In addition, between 50 to 100 onlookers came out to witness the event, according to the organizer, Dr. Gregory W. Parkinson.

Dr. Parkinson is the pediatrician for children of clients staying at the center, which is in North Falmouth, and his wife, Sandee, is on the board at the center.

While the amount raised, $3,000, will definitely be useful to the center, its executive director Mary M. Starr, said the event means much more than a simple monetary figure.

It helps reinvigorate those who work at the shelter that their work is meaningful. "We know what we are doing is meaningful, but when you have people and strangers running in this race, it refuels us and gives us a whole lot of hope," she said.

That appreciation is also felt by the women who rely on the center to seek a better life. Ms. Starr said that one of their clients saw pictures of the event and was amazed that people "who don’t even know us would go into the water on January 1 and run six miles to try and make our lives better."

The event began five years ago when Dr. Parkinson and his daughter, Catherine, 13, a seventh grader at the Lawrence School, decided to "go for a dunk."

The following year they were joined by friends, Michael R. Quinn of Pocasset, Dr. Garry Brake, and their respective families. The next year they invited a few more people, but eventually Dr. Parkinson said, "It got big enough to try and see if we could raise some money."

Once the event grew large enough, he said, they decided to donate to the center because "it was going through a difficult time." These types of shelters, he said, run on a tight budget and really need support. "It is a nice thing for the community to get behind," he said.

Perhaps the biggest reward in organizing this type of event, he said, is seeing the reaction of the center’s employees. "I think that is the best part," he said. "The shelter employees and board members, there are times when they often feel like they are on their own. It is nice for them to see there are people in the community that support them."

This year, with the high attendance, Dr. Parkinson said, "It was quite a scene," he said.

Dr. Parkinson said that preparation for the event is relatively minimal. It essentially includes some advertising, sending out e-mails and then "getting some hot chocolate there in advance," he said.

He said the run is good motivation to stay in shape during the cooler months. In terms of preparing for the swim, he said, "we try not to think about it too much. The less preparation and the less you think about it, the better," he said.

For Dr. Parkinson the race has truly become a family experience. He was joined by his wife and daughter, who ran the last two miles. His two sons, Andrew, 10, a fifth grader at the Morse Pond School, and Christopher, 8, a second grader at the North Falmouth School, joined in for the last mile.

In addition, his brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, and his children’s grandmother, Margaret Gillis of Norwell, participated as well. "She ran the last mile, but I am not sure she went into the water," he said. "I guess wisdom comes with age."

Even those who went into the water, Dr. Parkinson said, were not in long. The dunk began at 1 PM, he said, and "we were the last ones to leave the beach at 1:17. There was not a whole lot of milling about."

While not official, he estimated that the water temperature was in the mid-40s. While tolerable, he said, it made the hot shower after enjoyable.

Unlike last year, he said, the weather was relatively tame on Tuesday. "This year we had a few sprinkles, so we were pretty lucky," he said. "Last year there was a miserable rain."

Dr. Parkinson said the goal of the event is "to raise as much money as we can for the shelter. If in future years we can do more of that, we will be thrilled. We just want to keep this fun and non-competitive."

Organizers were able to double their amount from last year. That money, Ms. Starr said, will allow the center to help keep two families safe for roughly two months.

The center, she said, receives roughly $200,000 per year from the state Department of Social Services. The center has to raise another $200,000, both from grants and private sources, in order to continue operating, fund its staff, and provide essential services for victims of domestic violence.

Events such as these, she said, are an important piece to the center’s fundraising efforts. "I can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to us," she said.

----------------------------------------

This article ran in the Falmouth Enterprise on Wednesday, January 2, 2008.