Icy swim nets thousands

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Jake Hebenton is just 12 years old, but he has already got a history of community service behind him. He's also raised a substantial sum of money for a worthy cause before. It is a feat that he is now trying to accomplish for the second time.

This month, his cause is the local food bank.

Being under the media spotlight for his achievements surprises Jake-"totally"-but it hasn't thrown him off course. The course being a daily leap into the Cambell River for the entire month of November.

Young Hebenton, a member of the Liqwilthdaxw band at Campbell River, just seemed to notice that some folks aren't doing so well financially and he devised a strategy to draw attention to the need. Then he "takes the plunge" personally, so to speak, to raise some cash.

His late great-great-grandfather, hereditary chief Bill Roberts, would have approved.

"I've just been shocked at the amount of attention I've been getting," said Jake. "One day, I didn't think many people would come down there, but there was a huge crowd of people, and it was good that day. Some days the waves are crashing up on the beach and you could surf, practically, on those waves."

Last year, in February 2000, Jake raised $4,000 in pledges and donations through his daily "polar bear swim" to help support the 24th annual B.C. Elders' Gathering that was being planned for July. Three thousand people were expected and money to buy food for them was falling short.

"My Auntie Gwen, the food co-ordinator, was thinking about how are we going to raise money. And I said, 'Mom, if you paid me five bucks, other people are going to pay me to go swimming'," said Jake.

So Sheryl Thompson paid him $5 to go in the icy water on New Year's Day. So far, however, his sisters aged 24 and nine, and his brother aged 21, have not copied his daring.

Jake has had no swimming lessons, but learned when he was six months old and his mother "threw" him in the pool.

"My mom and dad both support me a lot," he added.

When he raised money for the Elders' gathering, Jake was only 10. With the approval and support of his family, he made the rounds of media, conducting interviews to raise awareness and garner support for his cause. The dedication of this youth inspired many other people, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, to come out and donate their time to the Elders too.

Sto:lo Elders "still marvel at the heart the boy must have possessed" to go into the frigid ocean in February to raise money to pay for food for their gathering, a release from their communication centre stated.

Next, Jake became aware of the demands being placed on, not only the Cambell River food bank, but on all food banks. He noted the mill layoffs in the Christmas season had heightened the demand in his home town. Now he is trying to inspire other people to donate to food banks all year round.

Every day at 3:15 p.m. Jake's mother takes him to the Tyee Spit in Cambell River after school to do his daily plunge, just a few minutes' drive from their house. When his father is not at work, he is there too, he said, to wrap him up when he comes out of the water and bring him hot chocolate.

Originally, Jake's goal was to raise as much for the food bank as he did for the Elders' gathering-$4,000. Pledge sheets, donation cans and raffle tickets went out all around town, including the credit union.

But on Nov. 6, when the waters of the Inside Passage hovered around eight degrees, Pat Palmer, secretary-treasurer of CAW Union Local 3019, handed over $1,000 for the Cambell River food bank and issued a challenge to other businesses and unions to match the contribution.

The next big donation came the following night when Jake and his mother attended a reception put on by Calpine Canada Island Cogeneration Project. Following a presentation about community involvement, Jake received another $5,000 for the Campbell River food bank.

He revised his target to $8,000. By Nov. 20, however, that goal was also behind him. Already he ad raised $65,000 in money and pledges for the food bank.

The cash goes directly into a bank account at the Evergreen Savings Credit Union in Campbell River, the Grade 7 student said.

Although "friends think I'm crazy" going into the water at this time of year, some are helping. Another student with a gift for carving has donated a hand-carved salmon to be raffled off. There is also a raffle for a skateboard and "a whole bunch of other stuff."

"I decided (to do the swim in November this time) because it's close to Christmas time and a lot of people are laid off from the mill right now. So I decided the best time is around Christmas when maybe everybody could have a turkey dinner or something like that."