Western Illinois Special Olympics will be hosting their annual Polar Plunge on Feb. 25 at Lake Storey in Galesburg. The plunging will begin at 2 p.m., and all the proceeds will go toward supporting local Special Olympics athletes. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $100, and after plunging, they’ll receive a free sweatshirt and lunch.
Jennifer Davis with the organization urges people to get out in the community to support the local athletes whenever possible.
“I encourage anyone to come out to one of our local events and see where the money for the Polar Plunge goes. We host our annual track meet right here in Monmouth. And that’s lots of fun. The athletes love to have people from the community cheering them on,” Davis said.
107 participants have signed up so far for this year’s event. Davis says the goal is to have at least 250 people take the freezing cold plunge in about a month. The 107 people that have already signed up have raised over $3,700. Kaylee McLaughlin is the top fundraiser at this point in time.
written by Jackson Kane