Dear John,

I’m 18 years old. I know Australia is burning. I know the ice caps are melting. I know my generation is about to pay for a climate catastrophe we didn’t create!

I also know this: I want to have children someday. And I’m scared by how few years we have left to solve the climate crisis. So I plan to fight back.

I’m sending Congress a message this Saturday – and raising resources for the fight. I’m plunging into the icy-cold Potomac River in the shadow of DC.

Will you support my swim as part of the 15th annual “Polar Bear Plunge” on the Potomac River?

The event is sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Since I was a little girl I have been active with CCAN. I love their work. They push for climate justice in and around the nation’s capital. This is my 12th time participating in CCAN’s “Keep Winter Cold” polar bear plunge. That’s right: I first jumped into the Potomac with CCAN when I was just six years old!

I know I can make a difference. I’m inspired by Emma Gonzalez, a teen activist for gun violence prevention. I’m inspired by Greta Thunberg and the climate strikes.

Will you sponsor my polar bear plunge and let Congress know you care? At age 18, I’m not giving up. I’m swimming in the icy Potomac River this Saturday.

I’m honored to be part of a generation that wants to see change. I like to stand up for what I believe and I’ve raised thousands of dollars for the climate movement as a child. If I can do it, you can do it. Please sponsor me.

The implications of global warming are daunting, especially for people like me. It takes away our feeling that we have “the rest of our lives ahead of us.” But I remain hopeful. Every year younger and younger people are taking the polar plunge with CCAN.

Please don’t let my generation down. Please sponsor my polar bear plunge today with $18 — one dollar for every year I’ve been alive — or however much you feel comfortable giving. Take real action.

Sincerely,

Rebekah Rowe
Maryland
For the Chesapeake Climate Action Network

PS: Here's a picture of me plunging a long time ago!

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