Fishermen take chilly dip for charity

Chilly challenge raising money for Nova Scotia fire victims

PUBNICO HEAD, N.S. — Dozens of fishermen are plunging into frigid waters as part of a fundraising campaign, with some donations going to the survivors of a tragic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia.

Todd Newell says he wanted to help the families of four children who died in a house fire Pubnico Head, N.S., earlier this month, so he decided to launch what he described as a fishermen’s take on the ALS ice-bucket challenge.

The fisherman pledged to donate $1,000 to efforts supporting the family last week, before immersing himself in the bone-chilling water in his boat’s lobster holding tank, also known as a live well.

Newell posted a video of the chilly dip to Facebook and challenged three friends to do the same, and in a matter of days, the so-called “Live Well Challenge” took off on social media.

Wanda Joy Atkinson, who administers a Facebook page for the challenge, says more than 150 people from Nova Scotia and beyond have taken part, pledging in excess of $150,000 to various charitable causes.

Newell says the campaign’s success is a testament to the generosity of the tight-knit fishing communities on Nova Scotia’s southwestern shore, which were devastated by the fire about two weeks ago.

A funeral service was set to be held for seven-year-old Mya Prouty in Barrington on Sunday, and a celebration of life for sevenyear-old Mason Grant has been scheduled for Monday in Yarmouth.

A joint funeral service is being held Tuesday at the Yarmouth Wesleyan Church for four-month-old Winston Prouty and his four-year-old sister, Jayla Kennedy.