More Than 60 People Jumped Into A Tank of Cold Water Saturday To Support Special Olympics During the Second Annual Sarnia Polan Plunge Held in A Parking Lot at Lambton College.
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They Raised More Than $ 14,000, Said Amy O’Keefe with Lambton Opp, One of the Organizers.
“Everyone has a great time and it’s for a great cause,” Said Fellow Organizer Jocelyne Paquette, with Sarnia Police.
Along with Registration Fees and Donations, Special Olympics Volunteers Soldee, Hot Chocolate and 50-50 Tickets, and Corrections Officers Raised Funds with a barbecue. Spectators Could also Buy Bags of Ice for $ 5 Each to add to the water on a day when the air temperature was –2 C.
“The Sun’s Out, The Community’s Coming Out,” O’Keefe Said. “We Couldn’t Ask for a Better Day.”
There was a heated tent close by and participants that head inside the college to change and warm up their plunge.
O’Keefe Said They Hope to Expand the Event Next Year, Including Local High School Students to Take Part.
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It was organized by local Law Enforcement With Help from Students in the College’s Criminal Justice Programs.
“It’s because that’s near and dear to my Heart,” Said O’Keefe, A Special Olympics Volunteer and Mother of Athlete Kian O’Keefe who Took Part in the Plunge.
“All the Law Enfurcement Agencies have selected special olympics as their charity of choice,” O’Keefe Said.
The polar plunges are organized through the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Ontario.
This year, 36 polar plunges are being held across the province, Said Derek Spence, Law Enforcement Torch Run Liaison With Special Olympics Ontario.
The First One was held in 1999 in Owen Sound.
“It’s one event, sincere covid, that has really taken off,” raising more than $ 1 million in 2024, Spence Said.
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Nearly $ 600,000 has been raised so far this year, he Said. “We Still have about a dozen plunges to go.”
The Money Helps Pay for Sports, Uniforms, Tournaments and Facility Rentals for Special Olympic Programs.
Tana Manchester, Coordinator for Special Olympics Sarnia, Said the Plunge is a fun way to raise money and awareness.
“I don’t think i could jump in Today, but i think all of these people are so brave,” she said. “I’m so Thankful to them for Doing this.”
About 150 Athletes Are Involved Locally in 14 Different Special Olympics Programs supported by About 80 Volunteers, She Said.
Manchester Said That Along With Their Financial Support, Law Enforcement Officials Take Time to wait and Volunteer at Tournaments and Games.
“It’s awesome to have these guys on our side, helping out the athletes,” She Said. “They Just Love Seeing the Police Officers and Chatting with them.”
“It Helps that Whole Sense of Inclusion and Community,” Manchester Said.
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