ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ)– Participants lined up on the beach at Canoe Creek State Park Saturday to take the Polar Plunge into the chilly waters to help raise money for Special Olympics Pennsylvania.
The event has become a yearly tradition for some, including the Altoona Police Department. Sgt. Matt Plummer said he hopes it carries on.
“I think this is our sixth or seventh year but what really keeps us coming back is just honestly the athletes,” Plummer said. “I mean they are the best people that you will ever meet in your life. They have the best attitudes and if everyone had the same attitudes as some of these athletes this world would be a better place so, that’s what brings us back. We put a smile on their face but honestly, they put an even bigger smile on our face.”
The event welcomes businesses and groups to take part together in the plunge, but individuals are also welcome to participate on their own. Participants often wear eccentric clothing, making their fashion as cool as the water. All making it their goal to raise as much money as possible.
“We work for First Summit Bank, we’re in five counties and a lot of our employees have special olympian as family or friends,” Tonya Kelly of the First Summit Bank plunge group said. “So this is a thing that we do every year for all of them, and we’re happy to say that we raised over 4,000 dollars this year.”
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“We had over 250 people come out today and take the plunge and raised over 100,000 dollars for Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes,” Karly Heath, the stewardship manager and law enforcement liaison for Special Olympics Pennsylvania, said. “So this is just a great cause a fantastic family event that we like to put on. It goes right back to our athletes.”
Karly said that all of the money they raise ensures that their athletes will not have to pay a penny to compete, whether it be for travel expenses, uniforms or athletic equipment.