Polar
Plungers across Illinois will be freezin' for a reason Feb. 22-March
17
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[January
16, 2013]
NORMAL -- It's not every
day that people are willing to "go jump in a lake" -- particularly in the
winter -- let alone do so with thousands of other people, including members
of the law enforcement community. But that's exactly what will happen on
various weekends in February and March as part of the annual Law Enforcement
Torch Run Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Illinois presented by
GEICO. |
Any adventurous soul is invited to
join law enforcement officers, as well as media and business and
civic leaders from their community, by donning bathing suits,
costumes or any clothing of choice (just no wetsuits!) to jump in a
lake. Each plunger must collect a minimum of $75 in donations that
will be used to support Special Olympics programs in Illinois.
The event has grown from one
location in 1999 to 20 locations across the state this year. The
Polar Plunge series will kick off with a Super Plunge -- where
participants raise a minimum of $2,500 and plunge into Lake Michigan
once every hour for 24 hours -- on Feb. 22-23 at Northwestern
University's North Beach in Evanston.
The Logan County plunge will take
place on Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Lakes. Please note
this is a change in both day of the week and time. Anyone wishing to
know more about the local plunge can click on the "Polar
Plunge" button on the Top Stories page of LDN or contact Joanie
Keyes of Special Olympics Illinois at 217-428-9255.
Individuals and teams can register
for the plunge on the Special Olympics Illinois website at
http://www.plungeillinois.com/ or by contacting Keyes at the
number above.
Plungers are encouraged to form
teams to spread the fun. Each team member must raise the minimum of
$75 in donations, and all team members' individual fundraising
totals will be merged to form a combined team total. Teams are
placed into divisions based on size and are awarded prizes for the
most money raised.
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column] |
All plungers will receive gifts,
compete for prizes, and enjoy food and camaraderie with other chilly
participants. The more money a plunger raises, the more chances he
or she will have to win a four-night trip for two adults to Cancun,
Mexico, with accommodations at Riu Peninsula, courtesy of Apple
Vacations. For every $500 a plunger raises, he or she will get an
entry into the drawing for this grand prize.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch
Run is the single largest year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting
Special Olympics Illinois. The annual intrastate relay and its
various fundraising projects have two goals: to raise money and
increase public awareness for the athletes of Special Olympics
Illinois. Each year, more than 3,000 officers in Illinois run more
than 1,500 miles carrying the "Flame of Hope" through the streets of
their hometowns and deliver it to the State Summer Games in Normal
in June. |