SAN FRANCISCO — On Saturday, Feb. 22, hundreds of Northern Californians — including San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and Santa Clara Police Captain Dan Winter — will brave the chilly and choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay — all in the name of Special Olympics. Donned in costumes but without the protection of wet suits, Special Olympics athletes and their supporters will jump into winter-chilled waters of the San Francisco Bay at Aquatic Park for the San Francisco Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Northern California in its seventh year. Back for a second year is a 5K fun run/walk that boasts stunning views of the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate and more.Plungers, which include individuals, companies, law enforcement, families and schools, are asked to raise a minimum of $125 — which provides one season of sports instruction and competition at no cost to the Special Olympics athlete. One of Special Olympics Northern California’s preeminent events, the San Francisco Polar Plunge raises funds that directly allow Northern California Special Olympics athletes to participate in regional, national and international competitions all the while promoting acceptance, building bonds of friendship and unity and creating lifelong memories.Among those taking the Polar Plunge on Feb. 22 will be teams representing the San Francisco, Danville, Oakland and San Francisco City College police departments, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, the San Francisco branch of California Highway Patrol, and corporate teams from Allegis Group, Google, AT&T, Coca-Cola and more. For the fifth straight year, Danville’s Los Cerros Middle School – which is a member of the Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program — has entered a team of Polar Plungers.
In 2013, the Polar Plunges had more than 1,400 Plungers, who rose over $450,000 for the athletes of the Special Olympics Northern California and Nevada. Special Olympics Northern California is supported entirely by events like the Polar Plunge, local business and individual gifts, and receives minimal state or federal funding.
Registration and donations for the San Francisco Polar Plunge are currently being accepted online at iPolarPlunge.com and will be accepted on site. Costumes are encouraged and the most creative individuals and teams will be lauded at a costume contest.
The San Francisco Polar Plunge is one of 10 Polar Plunge events hosted by Special Olympics Northern California – Fresno, Fort Bragg, Kelseyville, North Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, South Lake Tahoe, Ukiah and Weed. For more information or to register to take the Polar Plunge, please visit iPolarPlunge.com.
Sponsors of the San Francisco Polar Plunge include Aerotek, Bay Area News Group, CBS5, Coca-Cola, SFMTA and TEKsystems.
Press kit is available at: www.sonc.org/about/press-information
About Special Olympics Northern California
Special Olympics Northern California is a free year-round sports training and competition program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. There are 16,000 athletes who compete in 152 competitions throughout the region in 11 sports. This requires the extraordinary support and time of 15,100 volunteers and volunteer coaches. Financial support comes almost exclusively from individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations. For more information on Special Olympics Northern California, visit http://www.SONC.org or join us at Facebook.com/SONorCal andTwitter.com/SONorCal
