Although things look different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Illinois aims to continue to raise money for a good cause.
Typically, people across the state would jump into frigid lakes or ponds, but this year is different due to the ongoing pandemic.
Jim Fitzpatrick, Senior Director for Development for the Law Enforcement Torch run, said although people are plunging at-home, the meaning is still the same.
“Last year we had to cancel our last four plunges across the state because on March 13th everything shut down. This year we didn’t want to cancel, we wanted to get away from that word, so we are plunging at home. People are doing it in a variety of ways, hopefully safe, we encourage safe, but a bunch of our staff here, I know the Normal Police Department and Normal Fire Department and sprayed their fire hoses, people are jumping into baby pools, or their own pools, slipping slides, water balloons, squirt guns, and just making it their own.”
For the past 20-years, plungers have annually raised $2 million for 23,000 Special Olympic athletes across the state.
So far, the organization has raised over $700,000.
***Report Courtesy of farmweeknow.com***
