By Kathryna Hoyman · Managing Editor
Even with the past week of temperatures being in the single digits, on Feb. 13, students of the college plan to jump into a freezing water tank parked right on campus.
Undaunted by the weather (or at least determined despite the weather), these plungers will represent their teams of students who have been fundraising for the Mercer County branch of Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA). SOPA’s mission is to provide opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to train and compete in Olympic-type sports. These events provide opportunities for these individuals to experience the benefits of athletics and participate in an encouraging community.
All money raised for the campus’ Polar Plunge will be donated to Mercer County Special Olympics to assist with funding equipment and facility costs, elevating SOPA’s work in our neighboring county.
The college’s fundraising goal for the event is $28,000, and if this goal is met, President Lingo and his wife have agreed to plunge themselves, hand-in-hand. Students can sign up as fundraising participants or registered plungers within teams they form. Many of the teams that have already registered have sprung from campus clubs and organizations, including Young Americans for Freedom and the Student Government Association.
For a little over a year, His Power DISplayed has been supporting the disabled community in and around Grove City College. This club is one of many expressing enthusiasm for the Polar Plunge and how it aims to love those in the college’s surrounding area. “This fundraiser is exactly the type of event that we want to be involved with. Our group is all about supporting people with disabilities, so we are so excited to help with a great cause!” club president Senior Jackson Hays shared.
Students are still encouraged to register and to spread the word to friends, family members and those in the community.
“We’d love for students to get behind this because it is a good cause. So many different clubs and organizations look for different ways to support the local community, and honestly, I can think of no way that’s better than being part of something that contributes to the common good,” Eric Fehr, the assistant dean of student life and learning, said.
The college’s plunge will take place between 2 and 5 p.m. in the Physical Learning Center parking lot. It will follow a K-12 plunge in the morning and a community plunge in the afternoon, so there is a chance for anyone interested to get their toes wet and help support those in our local area with disabilities.
Use the QR code below to register and track the live countdown for the fundraising goal, and be sure to come by yourself next month to see your friends (and maybe even the Lingos) participate in the college’s Polar Plunge.
