By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
It's time to take the plunge into freezing cold water to help a good cause, during the Polar Plunge in St. Joseph.
The plunge helps benefit Special Olympics Missouri athletes. Last year's event raised nearly $3,400.
Development Director for Special Olympics of north Missouri Melody Prawitz says this event is one of the largest fundraisers for the organization.
"I have three plunges in the north area, we have one in Chillicothe, one in St. Joseph, and one in Kirksville,” Prawitz tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. “And so, with those three combined it’s a pretty big part of our budget that we raise.”
The Polar Plunge in St. Joseph will be held on February 15th. Registration for the event is online; participants must raise a minimum of 75 dollars by event day
Prawitz says while some people use this event as a bucket list item, there are several teams that participate every year
"We have a few teams that really vie with each other trying to get the number one position in fundraising,” Prawitz explains. “Like for this weekend we have Freezin for a Reason, we’ll have volunteers at Sam’s Club, at Hyvee, and then we’ll do a boot block at Noyes and Mitchell, where they’re standing out in the cold collecting funds for their teams.”
Prawitz says the theme of this year’s plunge is Glow
"So you know, glow, neon, anything like that,” Prawitz says. “We have a lot of people that come in different costumes, we give out the golden plunger award for the best costume, first, second, and third, and then we give out awards for the highest fundraisers and the higest team fundraisers.”
Registered individuals must raise a minimum of $75 dollars by event day. The event on February 15th will begin with registration at 11am, with the plunge at 1pm at 402 S Noyes Boulevard.
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