Make-A-Wish to Thank L.B. Polar Bears at Monday Concert

The Make-A-Wish Foundation on Monday evening will celebrate and say thanks to the Long Beach Polar Bears and City of Long Beach for their longstanding support of the organization.

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Make-A-Wish plans this ceremonial recognition, coming in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, starting at 7 p.m., before the city’s first summer concert featuring Ric Mango and his band at Riverside Boulevard beach.

The Long Beach Polar Bear Club formed in 1998, after two local residents jumped in the cold Atlantic Ocean on Super Bowl Sunday, and two years later the organization dedicated their annual dip off Long Beach’s shore to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The event is held in honor of Paulie Bradley, the son of local residents who lost his fight against cancer at age four in 1997 before being able to receive his wish. The event now draws anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 participants each year.

Pat Clemency, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York, and Robert Piazza, the city’s commissioner of parks and recreation, will be the featured participants in Monday’s event.

“Make-A-Wish looks forward to recognizing and appreciating the steadfast support of the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Polar Bears at a time when they deal with the many hardships that Super Storm Sandy has imposed on the City and its residents,” Make-A-Wish said in a statement about Monday’s event.

Mango, who has performed summer concerts in Long Beach since the summer of 1985, will come out of retirement to perform at this special concert. The music will start at 8 p.m.

The Long Beach Polar Bears held their 14th annual Super Bowl Splash in Long Beach on Feb. 3 and raised $635,000, a record for the one-day event. To date, the Long Beach organization has raised more than $3 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting more than 400 wishes for children all over the country.