On Saturday afternoon, more than 200 students will run full-speed into near-freezing water to raise money for Special Olympics Ohio.
Phi Kappa Theta and the Ohio University Police Department will hold the sixth annual Polar Bear Plunge at Lake Snowden in Albany at 1:30 p.m.
Students can register for the plunge online before the event begins at sooh.org, at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m., or on the day of the event at 11 a.m.
The winner will receive a trophy and a gift card.
This year’s Polar Plunge theme is “Under the Big Top” and participants are encouraged to wear their best circus costumes to be judged in a costume contest.
All donations and proceeds will go to Special Olympics Ohio, which provides training services to disabled athletes and supports more than 23,000 people in Ohio, said Cody Pyle, the student event coordinator for Polar Plunge.
There will be 10 plunges between Jan. 26 and March 16 throughout the state.
For those who are “too chicken to plunge” but still want to contribute, there are options available.
“This year, we hope to raise more than $30,000,” Pyle said. “We really want to get that extra little bit to reach our goal.”
Cathy Hart, a communication officer for OUPD, said she hopes to get a turnout of between 250 and 275 people at the event.
Last year’s plunge raised $28,000 and so far, more than $13,000 has been raised with online donations.
Participants must raise $50 in donations in order to be involved in the event and if they raise more, they will receive prizes such as long-sleeved T-shirts.
The Delta Zeta polar plunge team has raised more than $340. Other Greek organizations participating in the plunge include Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi and Theta Chi.
“I took the plunge my freshman year and it was really fun,” said Marissah Burt, vice president of philanthropy for Delta Zeta. “I wanted DZ to get involved with other chapter’s philanthropies and give to a great cause.”
Hart will be taking the plunge for the fifth year tomorrow.
“I have been fortunate enough to meet some of the athletes that benefit from SOOH and hear the stories about how it has made a difference in their lives,” Hart said. “I am willing to face the challenge of running into a freezing lake for these people who face challenges everyday.”
hr332511@ohiou.edu
