RUMFORD — On Friday morning, with the temperature high and nary a cloud in the sky, 15-year-old Logan Viger rolled his mechanized wheelchair in front of a dunk tank with three fluorescent-green softballs in his lap.
About 10 feet away, Jake Marden sat anxiously on the edge of a dunk tank, his feet dangling above a container filled with water and ice cubes.
Marden, who serves as food buyer and head of marketing for Marden’s Surplus and Salvage, was one of four Marden’s executives who volunteered to be dunked Friday morning at the Rumford store on Route 2.
The dunk tank was part of a fundraising effort by Marden’s to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Maine’s Summer Camp program, where local children with muscular dystrophy are able to participate in sports, fishing and arts and crafts.
Viger, who was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy and has attended the Muscular Dystrophy Association Summer Camp for the past few years, was selected by the MDA last year to attend its summer camp, and on Friday, he was given the chance to be the first person to dunk someone.
He picked up one of the softballs, took a moment to aim and tossed it.
The ball struck the target, sending Marden into the water.
“Wow, I think you need to move back a little farther!” Marden said, laughing.
Brittni Wishart, fundraising coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, said Marden’s spent all of August raising money for the association.
In addition to setting up a dunk tank, there was an indoor bake sale and a face-painting table.
After getting out of the dunk tank, Marden said his family offered to match any donations made by customers up to $10,000. he said they have raised more than $40,000 this year.
“It’s just really nice to get out into the community and make sure that we’re raising money for a great cause,” Marden said.
Other Marden company executives who volunteered to be dunked included Ken Clarke, Andrew Marden and Tom Langlois.
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