Starting Monday, February 1 through Saturday, February 6, Special Olympics fans from around the state will take the Plunge ...into their own hands. What the flock, you say? Since we can’t gather our “colony” in person because of the pandemic, that doesn't mean we're skipping Special Olympics Virginia’s biggest fundraiser. Instead, we’re letting participants #plungeyourway. Want to take an icy dip in your neighbor’s pool? Go for it! Rather take the year off and lounge in a hot tub with a hot cocoa? You do you. We promise we won't judge.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in Virginia Beach, Northern Virginia, Richmond or the New River Valley (all homes to our usual in-person events), you can plunge anywhere, anytime, any way you like. No matter what the Plunge looks like, participants still will be supporting Special Olympics Virginia and we need the support now more than ever. Our athletes are ready to return to the playing fields but we can’t do it without the funds raised from events like Polar Plunge.
Ready to join the colony? Plungers still can register and raise funds at www.polarplunge.com but they best get quacking (wait, wrong bird!) if they want to enjoy Plunge-week perks. From FREE Wawa coffee and drink specials to cool Plunge-themed workouts and costume contests, each day (Feb. 1-6) will offer a set of unique promotions. Friday, Feb. 5, our student plungers will gather virtually for our Cool School Penguin Plunge; at 11 am, 1800+ penguins will be released into a lazy river in Virginia Beach for a race to the finish line.
The week culminates Saturday, February 6th with a LIVE Plunge Celebration show starting at 2 pm. Plungers are encouraged to share their splash at www.polarplunge.com for a chance to be featured on the show, during which we’ll announce how much this year’s event raised for Special Olympics Virginia’s nearly 23,000 athletes.
So where’s Waldo, you say? Well, someone may dress up as Waldo but they’ll certainly be other crazy costumes, too. While we look for Waldo, media are encouraged to email us to find a plunger in your market so you can capture their cool.
This year’s event is presented by Wawa, Walmart, GEICO, Virginia Natural Gas, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Knights of Columbus and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Virginia. Special thanks also to our media partners: 103.7 Play, Classic Rock 96.5, K95, 106.9 the FOX, FM99, WSLS 10, WTKR News 3, WGNT, NBC12, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Cumulus Media, Virginia Media, NBC29, B101.5, Hot 100.1 and SKY4 WSKY TV.
Since 1993, more than 56,000 plungers have raised in excess of $16 million for Special Olympics Virginia. The inaugural Polar Plunge took place in 1993 at the Clarion Hotel when 108 plungers raised $11,000 for the program.