Participants in the seventh annual Polar Plunge on Jan. 20 did their freezin’ for 70,000 reasons.
The event, put on by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, in collaboration with the Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS), raised $70,000 and counting in support of Special Olympics Ontario.
This year’s plunge was unique as it was the premier fundraising event for the 2024 Special Olympics Ontario – School Championship Games to be hosted in Chatham-Kent from June 10-12.
More than 200 plungers registered for Saturday’s chilly dip. That’s the highest total in the history of the event in Chatham-Kent.
“We cannot thank our community partners enough for the combined efforts to run an event of this magnitude. We can’t do it without the generous support of the community, and the results of this year’s event are a direct correlation to the support received by the community of Chatham-Kent towards the Special Olympics,” Polar Plunge officials said in a media release.
To date, local fundraising efforts, including the plunge, have contributed $373,000 towards hosting the School Championship Games, with a $400,000 target within sight.
There are an estimated 23,000 athletes in Ontario with an intellectual disability through sport in the Special Olympics.
