SOMO News
RELEASE: 8th Annual Springfield Polar Plunge raises $64,320 for SOMO
SPRINGFIELD – The 8th Annual Springfield Polar Plunge on Saturday, March 4 at Ski Shack was a splashing success, raising $36,630 to date. A total of 141 brave men and women from around the area donned disco-themed costumes and swimwear to take a chilly dip into Ski Shack’s Cable Park. In addition, seven Super Plungers took the Plunge 24 times in 24 hours to raise an additional $24,000, bringing the weekend total to $64,320. Their Reason for Freezin’… the athletes of Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO)!
Online fundraising is still ongoing. Organizers of the Plunge still hope to raise an additional $10,000 to reach the goal of $75,000. Donations can be made here.
“It’s amazing to see how so many individuals can come together to support our athletes and make them an important part of our community,” Plunge Coordinator Haley Blevins said.
Top fundraisers included the following:
- 1st Place Fundraiser – Bill Barksdale: $2,409
- 1st Place Super Plunger – Jeff Fugett: $10,544
- Top Fundraising Team – Gold Mountain Golden Gang: $2,194
- Top Law Enforcement Team – Missouri State Highway Patrol, Troop D: $15,806
- Top Fundraising School – Knob Knoster High School: $3,304
Competition for the Golden Plunger was steep this year. Participants were encouraged to come in costume and compete for the chance to take home the “Golden Plunger.”
- Group 1st Place – Tie-dye Tees | Branson High School
- Individual 1st Place – Conner Priebe the Disco Man
SOMO was lucky to have one Plunge Ambassador helping with this event. Our Plunge Ambassador for this year’s Plunge was Jody Davis. Jody is a SOMO athlete, and she worked for months to help spread awareness of the Plunge!
This year’s event was held in conjunction with the Springfield Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D. Presenting sponsors included: Gold Mountain, Ski Shack, SRC, iHeart Media, HyVee, D&E Music, Springfield Police Officer’s Association, Missouri State Trooper Association and PSC Accounting.
For more information about the Polar Plunge, visit www.somo.org/plunge.
Media is welcome to download and use any pictures from our Flickr Page.
Special Olympics Missouri
Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) is a year-round program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Thousands of athletes participate in 16 Olympic-type sports throughout the state. SOMO provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with their fellow athletes, their family and friends, and communities across Missouri.
SOMO is proud of our financial health, returning 78% of every dollar back to program services. We are privileged to be recognized with these honors: Better Business Bureau A+ Charity Accreditation, Guidestar Gold Level and Charity Navigator 4-star rating. Special Olympics was also recently named Morning Consult’s No. 4 most trusted nonprofit.
Thank you for trusting us with your donations, volunteer time and your goodwill.
Visit Special Olympics Missouri at www.somo.org. Engage with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.