COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — It's going to be chilly this Valentine's Day, but that's not stopping hundreds of West Michiganders from getting even colder for a good cause.
Saturday is the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Michigan at LMCU Ballpark.
“Polar Plunge is a great way to get involved, to give back, to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, which is something our athletes do each and every day, and it's also just a ton of fun,” Marketing and Communications for Special Olympics Michigan Lourin Sprenger told me.
I'd say jumping into freezing cold water is about as far outside your comfort zone as you can get. But it’s worth it, because as Sprenger told me, this weekend is their largest fundraiser of the year with a goal of raising about $85,000 at the Grand Rapids plunge alone.
“It allows our athletes around the state of Michigan to compete and train to attend overnight competitions and to really spread a message of inclusion at no cost to them, and the Polar Plunge does that for our athletes. So it really is empowering them," Sprenger shared.
That’s something Deputy Shelby Humphries with the Kent County Sheriff’s office sees firsthand. For the past few years, she’s been taking the plunge with Mac. He’s an athlete, and the reason Shelby keeps getting cold feet.
"It's just really cool to see how you know he has developed throughout the years," Humphries told me. "How our relationship has developed, and him being in Special Olympics, and his confidence and ability to do things, and I think it's just really brought out not only joy in him, but joy in me, because I get to see the growth in him, in being an athlete and just as a person in general, I think we could use, you know, more of that in this world.”
And if that is not enough of an incentive for you to get involved, Shorts Brewing Company has brewed a special beer for the occasion with a portion of the sales going to Special Olympics.
If you can't make it out to the Grand Rapids plunge on Saturday, the Kalamazoo Polar Plunge is scheduled for Sat, Feb 21, and Muskegon's is set for Sat, March 7th.
The Pre-Plunge Party at LMCU starts at 12:00 PM, on Saturday, February 14 and the FOX 17 Team will be there jumping at 2:00 PM. You can register to jump at the event or before (or donate if you'd like to stay warm) at this link.
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