A special occasion
In the frigid weather, Vincent Frulio
stands huddled on the beach with his team
waiting for what feels like an eternity. But in
the final 10-minutes before the signal
sounds to charge into the ocean, Frulio and
members of Ocean County Prosecutor’s
Office Local 171 fully embraced why they
came here.
“It means something special to me
because I have a daughter with special
needs.” said Frulio.
Giuliana Frulio daughter is six-years-old
and was diagnosed on the Autism
spectrum a few years ago.
“Having a special needs child,
something like this, not just for her but for
all the other children out there means a
whole lot to people like me and my wife,”
said Frulio.
Giuliana wasn’t in attendance but knew
her dad was there and sent him texts of
encouragement to keep warm.
Team Captain and Frulio’s cousin, Dan
Xavier, started organizing the team’s participation even before Frulio joined in on the
fun.
“She’s my goddaughter. I don’t even
think of her as having autism but maybe
subconsciously she was one of the reasons
I started this thing,” said Xavier.
And although it was one of the coldest
days anyone can remember and the plunge
was a “shock,” this team will be back again
next year.
“All the griping we did about the
weather. It was for a great cause and we had
a great time doing it,” said Frulio. “It’s a
good day. Obviously we’re going to do it
again next year.” d
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RV with a multitude of cohorts from West Windsor for his 14th or 15th
plunge. “Those kids get all crazy before we go in and it just builds up.”
See the Middletown Township Local 124 members standing in front
of their trailer parked just off the boardwalk with their shirts off and
many in shorts. There’s no way to tell by looking at them that it’s 23
degrees on this Feb. 21 Saturday morning.
All that you can see here, and everywhere else you look, is that this
event is so much fun, it’s ridiculous. So many PBA Locals were gathered
in groups bringing together their departments and their communities.
“We’re out here thinking of the goodness we do for others who can’t