On March 5, SRU Special Olympics hosted the Polar Plunge fundraising event. The event was held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. behind the ARC.
Student organizations and clubs could sign up to raise money and take a plunge into a pool to support Special Olympic athletes. Individuals and friend groups also had the opportunity to participate.
Many SRU students gathered to jump into the pool in the pouring rain to support the cause.
Student Samantha Frederick joined her friend group to participate in the event. “We did it last year, and we had so much fun that we decided, since it was for a good cause, we’d do it again”, she said.
SRU Special Olympics secretary Katie Weiner reported that the event raised over $5,000. “It’s really exciting to bring it back to campus this year,” she said.
The SRU women’s club soccer team was among various groups of students who signed up. Player Taylor Sherbine said the team also participated in the event last year.
“We wanted to make sure we all got involved in it,” Sherbine said. “It’s a really good cause, and we wanted to raise more money. That way it goes back to the [athletes].”
The Polar Plunge offered a variety of prizes for top donors. Individuals who raised over $50 received a free sweatshirt. The team that raised the most money earned a gift card for Ginger Hill Tavern in town.
All of the money raised by participants went towards Special Olympics Pennsylvania.
SRU hosts the Western Fall Sectional annually. Hundreds of athletes from Western Pennsylvania counties compete in the sectional to advance to the state-level competition.
Hundreds of SRU student volunteers come together each year to help run the Western Fall Sectional.
“We’ve had about 250 SRU volunteers, and to better coordinate that, we decided to start a club,” SRU Special Olympics president Allison Peterson said.
The club just hit its one-year anniversary in December.
If students are interested in joining SRU Special Olympics or participating in events such as the Polar Plunge, they can find the club on CORE.
“We are super excited that people came out and signed up,” Peterson said. “Thank you to the Slippery Rock community for showing up.”
