Lake St. Clair is cold in December, but not as cold as being homeless, says Jaclyne Reive.

“We came out of the water and warmed up, but people living outside get cold and stay cold,” said the Windsor Law student, one of eight who participated in a Polar Bear Dip at Sandpoint Beach on Sunday, December 4. The event was a benefit for the Downtown Mission, which provides a sanctuary and meals for the needy.

Reive said she said to fight her instincts to advance into the cold water.

“Your brain is telling you to stop, but you need to keep going, because that’s what you signed up for,” she said. “On the plus side, coming out you feel warmer than you were before, waiting on the beach.”

The eight students – Jeff Dortmans, Kimberly Hui, Stephanie Laurella, Stephanie Ma, Peter Reinitzer, Bobby Russon and Paige Schubert as well as Reive – raised a total of about $500, part of almost $15,000 the mission made on the day.

“The law school is a pretty tight-knit community,” Reive said. “I have to give credit to the faculty. A lot of the professors really came through with big donations.”