Three polar plunges will be held in the Special Olympics Missouri North Area to raise money for the organization. The events will be at Simpson Park of Chillicothe on February 11th, Lake Contrary of Saint Joseph on February 18th, and the Forest Lake Swimming Beach at Thousand Hills State Park of Kirksville on February 25th.
Registration will start at each at 11 o’clock, and the main plunge will be at 1 o’clock. The events at Lake Contrary and Thousand Hills will include a parade of costumes and a peewee plunge for individuals younger than 10 years old at noon.
Special Olympics Missouri Development Director Melody Prawitz is the coordinator for the three area polar plunges. She says dunk tanks will be used at Simpson Park and Lake Contrary. Food will be available at the events at Lake Contrary and Thousand Hills.
Prawitz says participants can decide how far they want to go into the water.
Warming tents will be available at the events, so participants can stand inside them before they plunge or change clothes after they plunge.
Prawitz says a lot of teams are participating, and a lot of the teams compete against each other. There is also a Golden Plunger award that will be given to those with creative costumes.
Prawitz notes there is a disco theme for this year’s polar plunges.
Awards will also be presented to the top three fundraisers, fundraising groups, and schools.
Each polar plunge participant must raise at least $75. Children younger than 10 can participate in the peewee plunges at Saint Joseph and Kirksville for $25.
Prawitz notes every participant will receive a long-sleeved t-shirt that says he or she survived the plunge. That includes peewee plunge participants.
Each of the polar plunges has a different fundraising goal. The goals are $12,000 for the Chillicothe plunge and $30,000 each for Saint Joseph and Kirksville plunges.
Prawitz explains the money raised is used to provide Special Olympics athletes what they need to participate in the program. That includes facilities, equipment, transportation to events, and uniforms. She reports 78% of every dollar raised goes into the program. Special Olympics does not charge athletes to participate.
Special Olympics Missouri offers 16 sports. Some athletes participate in multiple sports, and others participate in only one.
The organization is volunteer-based. Prawitz says it is looking for coaches, and some athletes are “sitting on the sidelines” because there are not enough coaches.
Businesses can still support the area’s polar plunges. Prawitz says businesses can have their name on a banner and in the program. There are a range of prices for sponsorships. Businesses who are interested in sponsorships should call the Special Olympics Missouri North Area Office of Saint Joseph at 816-233-6232 or email prawitz@somo .org.
More information and registration is available at somo.org/plunge for the events at Simpson Park of Chillicothe on February 11th, Lake Contrary of Saint Joseph on February 18th, and the Forest Lake Swimming Beach at Thousand Hills State Park of Kirksville on February 25th. Participants can register online before the polar plunges, or they can register on the day of the events.
Prawitz adds that individuals who want to support the organization but do not want to take the plunge can also donate on the Special Olympics Missouri website.
