With quick jump into icy waters, Fox Lake plungers raise $26,000 for Special Olympics

FOX LAKE – A first-time plunger, Ashley Pollard of Spring Grove didn’t know quite what to expect at the Fox Lake Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.

She said her hair didn’t turn into icicles or anything.

“It was quick and easy, done and over with within minutes,” she said. “And it brings so much joy to people. The excitement there for that one hour is incredible.”

Would she plunge again?

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Candace H. Johnson for Shaw Local News Network Ashley Magnine, deputy clerk with the Village of Fox Lake, takes the plunge in Nippersink Lake during the Special Olympics Polar Plunge at Lakefront Park in Fox Lake. (2/26/23) (Candace H.Johnson)

“In a heartbeat,” said Pollard, who plunged as part of a team representing the Round Lake-based Northern Lights Special Olympics Agency. The team of a dozen plungers raised about $6,000.

In all, about 100 plungers – some in creative costumes – braved the icy waters of Nippersink Lake on Feb. 26 to raise money for Special Olympics.

With temperatures in the low 40s and the lake’s water temperature in the mid-30s, many participating said they lucked out. Fox Lake has hosted the event for almost two decades and conditions have been much colder and windier in the past. In 2019, strong winds forced organizers to cancel the event.

“This is about the best you can ask for, for a plunge, 45, sunny and very little breeze,” said Jordan Feldman, Region B director of Special Olympics Illinois. “You can’t complain about that.”

This year’s plunge raised about $26,000 for Special Olympics Illinois with at least 20 teams participating. Although participation was down a bit from years past, Feldman deemed the event a hit.

“Everybody had a blast,” he said. “Everybody was happy to be there. Everyone loves to come to Fox Lake.”

Known statewide as the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge, the campaign typically draws most area police departments. Instead of taking part in the Fox Lake event this year, the Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Carpentersville police departments are hosting their own Special Olympics Illinois Polar Plunge at 10 a.m. March 4 at the Carpentersville’s Public Works facility, 1075 Tamarac Drive.

In the end, the money raised all ends up supporting Special Olympics Illinois, Feldman said, and that’s a good thing. Among the largest Special Olympics organizations in the country, Special Olympics Illinois hosts about 23 polar plunges throughout the state from mid-February through mid-March, he said.

“It’s our single largest fundraising campaign we do throughout the year,” he said.

Beginning in 1999 in Lake Bluff, the Lake County campaign has raised both awareness of Special Olympics Illinois and almost $27 million for the organization through the years.

“They make it so we don’t charge our athletes to come to our sporting events,” Feldman said of the fundraising efforts.

The plunges also are an opportunity to just have fun, participants said.

Many of the teams had themed costumes, such as “The Dearly Departed Celebrities” plunging on behalf of the Mundelein police department this year. Participants dressed as Steve Irwin “The Crocodile Hunter,” Olivia Newton John and Ray Liotta.

“I loved everything about it,” said first-time plunger Jessica Marvin, who works for Mundelein’s community development department and wore the Irwin costume. “I just loved being able to raise money and do good in the communities and give back.”

As for the weather, she said, “It was perfect.”

With about 18 members, the Mundelein team raised about $6,000 and counting, and is always looking for more donors and team members, leader Lori Loomis-Smith said.

“It has a special place in my heart,” said Loomis-Smith, who has plunged since about 2012. Mundelein has had a team for more than two decades.

“I have a family member that has special needs. My daughter also works closely with autistic children and it’s just a great cause,” Loomis-Smith said. “It just shows community support.”

Feldman credited the village of Fox Lake and the area’s police and fire departments with ensuring the event is a success every year.

“They were my right and left hand throughout this process,” he said.

Among a team of almost a dozen plungers from Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Erin Flood of Gurnee took her 11th plunge. Flood teaches classes and runs the programming and activities for Lambs Farm, where adults with developmental disabilities receive vocational and residential services.

The Lambs Farm team raised more than $3,000. Some dressed up as “Famous Mikes,” including Mike Wazowski of “Monsters, Inc.”

“Special Olympics is just something important to us and near and dear to our hearts, so we just keep doing [the plunge] every year,” Flood said. “It’s just such an amazing organization, and we’re so happy to be able to be a part of it and do our part to keep it going.”