Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI) hosted their annual Polar Plunge event at the Whitewater Aquatics Center Saturday, March 15.
The Polar Plunge is an event in which participants who have raised funds for the Special Olympics leap into the waters. The event is also a way to bring people in the community of all occupations and ages together to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics, and for them to demonstrate their commitment to inclusivity.
Inclusivity and awareness were the common themes for the Polar Plunge Saturday, as outlined by the special events manager for SOWI, Lauren Sobolewski. She shared that the Polar Plunge is the biggest fundraising event of the year for SOWI and put further emphasis on the importance of inclusivity for the Polar Plunge.
She shared that the event was held indoors, rather than the normal outdoors to aid in this inclusivity.
“The warmer temperatures let people with different physical ailments to participate easier, making it as inclusive as possible,” Sobolewski said.
As for fundraising, the Polar Plunge has indeed proven itself to be the largest fundraiser of the year, with over $19,000 having been raised so far. This money will go to supporting the thousands of SOWI athletes.
While raising funds and awareness for mental disabilities was the main goal of the day, it also was a demonstration of how closely knit the community is, and how they work together so often. People showed their support in several different ways.
Lynnette Brown, the lifeguard who oversaw the plungers, detailed how participating in the Polar Plunge is a tradition for her. In previous years, she would bring students to participate in the plunge, cementing how this is a community event, where people of all ages are giving their time and money to a good cause.
Similarly, local law enforcement also came out to show their solidarity with the cause, opting to plunge. A total of three officers plunged into the waters, further displaying the willingness of people in the community to give their time to the cause.
Among these was Lieutenant Jason Burt, who shared the intimate relationship law enforcement has with the Special Olympics, as well as the local area.
“This is a good way for the police to connect to the community,” Burt said.
Having volunteered with the Special Olympics for years before, Burt elaborated on how the Polar Plunge is not the only fundraising event the police take part in. He mentioned the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), an event that also raises funds and awareness for the Special Olympics. The LETR has raised almost $1 billion since its creation over 40 years ago.
The Polar Plunge was an event to raise funds and awareness, while at the same time displaying the strength of the community. With people of all different ages and occupations opting to plunge, it shows precisely how worthy a cause the Special Olympics is. As a community, there are few things more important than uniting together for a worthy cause, and the Polar Plunge was the embodiment of this.
(Joey Gatto)
