by Alessandra Haddick
Hundreds of people charged into 63-degree Pacific waters along the Manhattan Beach shoreline Sunday morning, February 1, but the cold shock was nothing compared to what the event’s youngest honorees face every day.
The third annual CT3 Foundation Polar Plunge, hosted by former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chris Taylor and his wife Mary, raised funds for two organizations supporting children through life-altering challenges: the Friendship Foundation, which provides inclusive programming for young people with special needs, and — for the first time this year — the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
Taylor, a Manhattan Beach resident, played for the Dodgers from 2016 to 2025, and contributed to the Dodgers World Series championships in 2020 and 2024.
Among those watching from shore was Kai, a young boy battling brain cancer.
“Meeting kids like Kai reminds you why this matters,” Taylor said before the plunge. “He has such a contagious personality, and kids like him are a big reason we’re all here today.”
The Friendship Foundation, a South Bay nonprofit, provides social, recreational and vocational programming for children and young adults with special needs while supporting their families. Proceeds from the Polar Plunge help ensure no participant is turned away due to financial barriers.
“Our mission is to provide inclusive opportunities not only for our participants, but for their families as well,” said Daniel Stump, Chief Program Director of the Friendship Foundation. “We really serve as a support system for a population that is often underserved.”
Funding provides scholarships for programs including the foundation’s six-week, fully adaptive summer camp, which has exploded from 45 participants per week five years ago to 185 participants this past summer.
The money also supports the foundation’s capital campaign, including the nearly completed Friendship Campus, a 62,000-square-foot facility on Inglewood Avenue. It is set to open this summer. The campus will help individuals with special needs to transition from high school into adulthood while developing life and vocational skills.
This year marked the first time the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation joined as a beneficiary. PCRF focuses exclusively on funding childhood cancer research, a field that remains significantly underfunded. Representatives said PCRF funded more than $2 million in pediatric cancer research last year across more than 15 institutions.
The CT3 Foundation, named after Taylor’s initials and longtime jersey number, was founded in 2020 following the death of Taylor’s childhood friend, Kyle Profilet, who lost his battle with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer.
“This is about using the platform I have to make an impact,” Taylor said. “At the end of the day, we’re here for the Friendship Foundation and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. That’s the main goal of the entire event.”
The annual event has grown into a South Bay tradition, combining community participation, athlete involvement and charitable giving for causes deeply personal to the Taylors, who have continued to see cancer affect people close to them.
“The support we get from the South Bay is incredible,” Stump said. “Our families show up, our volunteers show up, and events like this remind us how much people care.”
For more information, visit friendshipfoundation.com or ct3foundation.org. ER
