Over 500 people Saturday braved the cold weather and a dip into the icy water to help raise money for Special Olympics Illinois.
A mix of students and community members gathered to watch what has become an annual tradition called the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge at the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet. This was one of the 18 locations hosting a Polar Plunge this year within the state of Illinois, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Special Olympics.
Special Olympics Illinois is a non-profit organization modeled after the Olympic Games. According to its website, the group is dedicated to providing nearly 21,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 6,000 young athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities a friendly atmosphere to engage in competitive sports.
More than 10 of the 53 teams participating at the Mahomet event were composed of University students.
Laura Sokolowski, freshman in Nursing, was the top fundraiser for the UIUC Best Buddies team and said she wanted to do her part in raising money for such a great cause.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“This was my first year plunging. It’s a good organization, it’s kind of crazy and really fun so I sent out an e-mail to my parents, family friends and their co-workers talking about how I got involved in Best Buddies and the Polar Plunge,” Sokolowski said.
Eventually the donations started trickling in. The UIUC Best Buddies team came in second place overall for the most amount raised. The campaigning of people like Sokolowski and others amounted to over $51,000 altogether from the Mahomet event.
Jackie Walk, Special Olympics Area 8 Director, said this number is likely to go up within the next couple days.
“We’re hoping to reach a goal of $90,000 this year and people are still donating as we speak, so it might be possible to reach that,” Walk said.
Veteran plungers like Sarah Sciortino, senior in LAS, said that part of why she keeps coming back to the Polar Plunge every year is the fun atmosphere.
“I love it. It brings people together and gets the word out in a creative way. The cold is worth it because of everything that the proceeds will benefit,” Sciortino said.
Charles B. Elliott was one of the Special Olympics athletes who also took the plunge on Saturday.
“I plunge because I’m nuts! It’s awesome! It’s important to me because I like Special Olympics,” Elliott said.
Walk said events like the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge attracts a lot of attention and awareness for the Special Olympics because of its unique take on charity.
“It’s definitely something different that appeals to a lot of younger people because they get to jump in a freezing lake. We try to keep things fun, because essentially that’s what keeps people coming back to donating to this cause,” Walk said.
