Looking for something to do this weekend? If costumes, swimming and free food is your idea of a good time, then grab your towel and head to the Belleville Moose Lodge on Saturday to take a quick dip.
Well, more like a plunge.
The annual Belleville Polar Bear Plunge is being held this Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Belleville Moose Lodge, 831 E. Huron River Dr. – about 20 minutes east of campus.
Special Olympics Michigan (SOMI) has been holding the fundraiser—which is one of 19 plunges held each year throughout the state—for over 10 years, and the unique event has become one of the organization’s mains ways of raising both money and awareness.
Those interested in participating must register, which can be done online at SOMI.org, or on the day of the event. Registration costs $50, all of which goes to the Special Olympics, and half of the proceeds go straight to helping in athletes in this area. For those interested in attending who don’t want to take the plunge, spectators are welcome.
For a $50 donation you can dive and get a free t-shirt and a free lunch. Other prizes, including sweat shirts, jackets and a drawing for a trip, are available to those who donate more money.
Costumes are encouraged but not required, though there will be prizes given to the top three best costumes, with the first place receiving a Golden Plunger trophy. A second award will be given for the team that raises the most money. A free lunch will follow the award ceremony.
The popularity of the Polar Bear Plunge has quickly spread throughout the state, but the event’s history in Michigan can be traced back to this area.
“We started back in the late ‘90s, and actually the Belleville Polar Bear Plunge was the first one in Michigan,” said David Katz, an Eastern Michigan graduate who has been the Director for the Belleville Plunge for the last 5 years. “They’ve been hugely successful, not only in fundraising and awareness, but people are really having a terrific time doing it. It’s one of the few things that are as wild and crazy, and still legal.”
Katz, who graduated from EMU in 1987 with a degree in psychology, became involved with the Special Olympics through his job. After working as a social worker at the Department of Social Services in Detroit for five years, Katz transferred to the Department of Corrections, but quickly found himself missing interacting with families and kids.
“They have an organization called Law Enforcement Torch Run, and that’s where law enforcement agencies reach out to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics,” he said. “I started out as a volunteer, a very minor role, but as I participated with the families and [went] to the summer games up in Mt. Pleasant at Central Michigan University—dealing with the families and athletes you really get touched. I mean, it’s really a rewarding experience dealing with people that are so appreciative of your time.”
Last year around 70 people participated in the plunge and the event raised over $17,500. They even had a special guest plunger, Drew Stanton of the Detroit Lions – so you never know who will show up to give their support to the cause.
Other college towns in Michigan, including East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Mt. Pleasant, hold their own Polar Plunges, and Katz hopes one day the different colleges in the state will hold some friendly competition to see who can raise more.
“I’ve been trying for years to get a contingency from Eastern Michigan, my alma mater, to get out there and get some competition between Central, Michigan and Michigan State, but we just haven’t been able to get a connection there at Eastern yet,” said Katz.
For those who might be concerned about jumping into a lake in the middle of February, Katz explains the organization takes the safety of the plungers very seriously.
“Safety is number one,” he said. “We do have a dive team there, we have an ambulance on site and we have a rule on how many people can jump in at a time—we normally have four people so we can keep a headcount on everybody that goes in and out of that water.”
And if you’re still not convinced taking the plunge is worth your time, Katz explains it’s the kind of experience you will remember for the rest of your life.
“It’s quite a challenge. You don’t want to go through college for four years, some of the best years of your life, without having some things that you can say you did when you were wild and crazy in college,” said Katz. “It’s definitely a point of conversation, people are either going to think you’re crazy or brave or different.”
For more information Special Olympics Michigan or the Belleville Polar Bear Plunge, including the registration form and other volunteer opportunities, visit SOMI.org.
On Saturday the event officially starts at 10 a.m., with registration at 11. The parade of costumes and the plunge at noon; and the awards and lunch at 12:45.
