Lockport resident Jennifer Touchine is preparing for a cold plunge to support local efforts to restore the tortoise-shaped structure in downtown Niagara Falls.
TIFEINE will attend Sunday’s Olcott Polar Bear Swim, an annual event that encourages participants to enter the icy waters of Lake Ontario to raise funds for charity.
Funds raised through Tougine during the event will support “Friends of the Niagara Turtle,” a group that hopes to protect and restore the former Native American Center for Living Arts, a tortoise-shaped building located on the Rainbow Boulevard, a waterfall.
Teen said she was considering a plunge last year and now it was time to decide. She admitted to being nervous about the cold experience and has been checking weather reports to see how cold it might be on Sunday. The prediction predicts a “very cold” day with an altitude of 18 degrees.
“Thinking about frozen water, it’s going to scare me,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it and thought one of these days I wanted to try it. I noticed that they got the nonprofit to register and thought it was a great fundraising opportunity. I’ve always wanted to do that, so I thought why not?”
What did she expect when she actually got into the water?
“I know it’s going to be below zero,” she said. “That’s what I expect. I’m nervous, but I’m strong, I have a strong willpower and if I promise to do something, I’ll do it.”
Designed by North Arapaho architect Dennis Sun Rhodes, it represents a creation story about the earth created behind a turtle, the turtle building of the waterfall opened in 1981 and is the opening of the Native American Center for Culture and Arts. The building ceased as a center in 1995 and has been open to the public for about thirty years.
Preservation Buffalo Niagara, a conservation group in western New York, led an effort to place buildings in a country’s historic place because members consider the historicity, cultural and architectural significance of the building. As part of the local Thortoise campaign, Ton and other advocates for preserving and restoring buildings gather around the work. So far, private company Niagara Falls has rebuilt the resistance of the current owner of the building.
Tyne is a member of the Nahavo State, who moved from Arizona to Niagara County two years ago, first stumbled upon the building with some members of the “Rack Turtle” organization at last year’s Erie County Fair. She has been actively supporting the preservation work ever since. She believes the building deserves savings due to its unique design and its connection to Native American culture. She also believes that the renovated turtle building will bring huge benefits to the tourism industry and local economy in the city.
“There is a huge community that wants to see the building reopen, local and non-native,” she said. “It’s a very unique building. There’s nothing like it.”
For decades, the Alcott polar bear swimming has been a tradition in Niagara County, with the first weekend of March. Swimming raised funds for a variety of nonprofits including Old Fort Niagara and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Foundation.
The Rewaken Turtle and other participating organizations are eligible for 50% of the net amount during the event, while the other 50% support various organizations in need throughout western New York. The funds are managed by WNY Lions – New York United States through the Olcott Lions Club, who have been swimming since 1969.
To support polar bear swimming, visit: https://buff.ly/4hxwzrb.
For more information on saving and recovery efforts, visit the Niagara Turtle Facebook page for friends.
