Tri-Cities Polar Plunge, Special Olympics could use your help. Feel free to jump in
People are ready for an icy dip in the Columbia River in Richland as part of a Tri-City tradition, but the Special Olympics could use more help.
There is still time to sign up to join the Tri-Cities Polar Plunge, as participants start jumping at noon from the Columbia Point Marina on Saturday, Jan. 25. And the fundraising total so far is well behind what’s needed.
People can register on the day of the event starting at 9 a.m., or they can sign up before by heading to bit.ly/2020polarplunge.
The organizers will have hot tubs, hot chocolate and soup available when people get out of the water, said the Hanford Patrol’s Dan Irish, who helps organize the event locally.
They’ve also upgraded the sound system and plan to make it easier for people to plunge into the Columbia, he said.
Irish started participating in the event five years ago and is normally one of the first people in the water. He makes a return trip with the news crews.
“I don’t even think about it,” he said. “It’s a little bit colder the second time.”
If you’re too scared to get in the water, you can still help. As of Tuesday, donations are being led by “Chicken Johnny,” a regular fixture at the event, who comes dressed in a chicken suit. He’s brought in $4,155, which is only $300 less than an eight-member team from Battelle.
$50 to plunge
Anyone who wants to take the plunge needs to raise $50 for the cause, organizers said.
Irish expects to see a rush of latecomers to fill in the ranks. Nearly $12,000 poured in at the end of the week, bringing the total contributions to $35,000, which is well short of the group’s $80,000 goal.
“That’s what happened last year. We had a lot of last minute sign-ups,” Irish said. “We raised right around $55,000 last year and we had a jumper count around 350 people.”
Some of their largest fundraisers are high school students who are still busy recruiting friends to come to the event, organizers said.
The group has been making a resurgence after a few years of lagging fundraising, and the event moved from Kennewick to Richland. While they haven’t competed with Seattle for fundraising, they have been one of the top events in the state.
Statewide, the Polar Plunge organization is early in its fundraising efforts, and has raised just $58,000 of its $388,500 goal. The Tri-Cities event is the first across the state.
All of the money raised in Tri-Cities stays with the roughly 700 athletes from the area who compete in Special Olympics events across the state. The money helps pay for uniforms, equipment, travel and lodging.
While the plunge is the biggest fundraiser, Irish said that a pair of golf tournaments are being organized to help raise funds.