Take the lunge and join the Polar Bear Plunge
By Tayler Bengtson
Does jumping into a freezing lake in the middle of winter sound fun? Or ever want to help make a difference by helping a non-profit organization? Then look into participating in the 15th annual Polar Bear Plunge from January all through March.
The Polar Bear Plunge is an event sponsored by Minnesota Law Enforcement to help benefit their year round Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraiser. All funds and proceeds are donated to the Minnesota Special Olympics to help raise money and awareness towards the organization.
The plunge has been a tradition every year since 1998 when it started at Como Lake with 65 plungers and raising around $20,000. Since then the event has become more popular, in 2011 there were over 11,000 participants who raised $2.2 million.
This year, the event has been growing even bigger with 15 different locations, 2,200 plungers already registered and $57,600 raised by just online pledges. Anyone is qualified to plunge, all one needs is $75 to become registered and to dress up in an one of a kind costume to jump into one of Minnesota’s glacial lakes.
Sources: www.plungemn.org
