The Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge that took place earlier this month at Silver Springs State Park’s Loon Lake in Yorkville raised more than $99,000 for Special Olympics Illinois.

“It was a big success,” Kendall County Sheriff Deputy Commander Caleb Waltmire said during the March 18 Kendall County Board meeting. “I was able to join in. My 11-year-old daughter was able to plunge with us, too, for the first time. There were a lot of first-time plungers.”

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Over the years, the Polar Plunge teams have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the Special Olympics program.

Several area law enforcement agencies participated in the March 1 event, including the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. There were more than 330 participants this year, Waltmire said.

Kendall County Board Chairman Matt Kellogg also participated in the event. He took note of all the Kendall County employees and organizations that participated in the Polar Plunge.

“It was just an amazing community event,” he said.

There was still ice on the lake when the event took place.

“It was a true polar plunge,” Kendall County Board member Ruben Rodriguez said.